Just Can't Get Enough
by Fwalandra
Summary: Gracie Dent has been best friends with Scott McCall since she could remember. When Scott finds out he was bitten by a werewolf, what is a girl supposed to do? Especially when another werewolf is slowly capturing her attention. Derek/OC.
1. The Woods

**Author's Note:** I recently started to watch Teen Wolf and… I've become incredibly obsessed with it. I'm not sure what's going on with my A:TLA fanfiction, but yeah. Please enjoy the story, and let me know if I stray away from the characters.

**Warning:** This IS a character-insert fanfiction that goes EPISODE BY EPISODE, as well as a few chapters taking place AFTER the first season. (Because I have absolutely NO imagination and I can't think for myself.) The rating will be T, but may have to be changed in later chapters; it depends on what I do with the story.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Teen Wolf. I do own the character Grace Dent and her family. All plot ideas go to the makers of Teen Wolf.

[Page Break]

The house was quiet, as it should be when it was nearly midnight on a Sunday evening. The lights were all off and all three members of the household were in bed. One member even had a large, fluffy white canine as a sleeping companion at her side. The blonde was in a decent slumber and rolled over, snuggling into the fur of her pet. In response, the dog shifted slightly and brought its tail to curl between itself and its owner, lying on her chilled hand. The two relaxed for a few moments before a soft tack was heard throughout the room. The dog's head perked up, ears straight in the air.

Feeling her companion move, the blonde let out a small groan. When she heard a second tack, her eyes opened quickly. She followed her dogs movement and sat up in her bed. The third tack was louder and she designated that it was coming from the window on the left side of her room. She rolled her green eyes before tossing the blankets off of her. She hurried to her window, her dog padding behind her. She unlocked the frame before pulling it up, hissing when a rock hit her in the shoulder.

"Stiles!" She hissed out, glaring down at the brunette who was giving her a small grin.

"Sorry, Gracie!" He called back up in a whisper. She rolled her eyes again before leaning out of the window a bit more, her shoulders unprotected in the frigid air in the deep blue tank top she wore. She saw his blue Jeep on the side of the street by her house.

"What do you want? It's midnight!" She said in the same tone. Stiles shifted and rolled his eyes, wanting her to just come down.

"My dad got a call. They found a dead body in the woods! Come on!" He said impatiently. A flicker of interest crossed Grace's features and Stiles knew he had her hooked on his line. She bit her lip and glanced towards her closed bedroom door to see if the hall light was on, making sure her parents were still asleep. She started to bounce on her feet nervously as she argued with herself in her head before she turned towards her best friend and gave a small grin.

"Give me five minutes." She whispered before leaving her window. She heard Stiles let out a semi-quiet cheer of success as she quickly grabbed a pair of dark blue jeans lying on the floor. She pulled them on over her black sleeping shorts. She tugged on a pair of neon green socks that were lying by her dresser before shoving her feet into her hi-tops that had a picture of the Joker from Batman laughing on them. She grabbed her black hoodie and pulled it over her head. She went back to the window and threw one leg out and over. She turned to her dog.

"Be quiet while I'm gone, Yuki. Love you." She said, ruffling her dogs head before pulling the rest of her body out of the window. Making sure to stay quiet, she slid her bottom along the ledge until she could grasp the branch on the oak in her front yard that was close to her window. She wrapped both of her arms around it before wrapping her legs around the branch below it. She lowered herself down to the next branch before swinging her leg over and jumping down. She landed ungracefully on her bottom with a grunt.

Before she could move, Stiles was in front of her and tugging her up and towards the car. She let out a soft laugh at him impatience, but didn't argue. Once inside the Jeep, Stiles quickly turned the car on and drove off down the street.

"Why didn't you just call me?" She asked, leaning her head back to rest it on the seat and tilting her head to look at Stiles. He glanced over at her and shrugged.

"In a hurry." He responded, taking a turn towards their other friends' house, Scott McCall. Grace let out an unladylike snort before rolling her eyes.

"Too much of a hurry to press two on your speed dial?" She asked, arching a dark blonde eyebrow. Stiles sent her a glare before pulling over in front of Scott's house. As she was unbuckling her seatbelt, she glanced over.

"Didn't call Scott either, did you?" She asked, nodding when she saw Stiles look away guiltily before slamming his door closed. "Didn't think so." She whispered to herself before following her younger friend.

When they reached the side of Scott's house, she watched as Stiles began to climb up to the ledge over Scott's porch. When he glanced down at her and held out his hand, she raised her hands up in a defense-like gesture and backed away.

"I no climb." Gracie walked towards the porch and sat down in the grass, her back against the wooden paneling of the porch. Stiles waved her off before turning back towards his goal. It was only a few moments later when she heard the soft sound of footsteps on the porch. Just when she was about to pop up, Stiles dropped his front down over the ledge to say something and ended up screaming, an equally masculine scream following it. The screaming scared her and she let out her own scream before standing up quickly, seeing Scott with a baseball bat in his hand.

"Whoa!" Stiles yelled, waving his hands in front of his face rapidly. Scott pulled back angrily.

"Stiles! Gracie! What the hell are you doing?" He demanded, frustrated that he was scared by his friends.

"You weren't answering your phone!" He lied swiftly, glancing at the bat. "Why do you have a bat?" He asked, looking at his best friend in disbelief.

"I thought you were a Predator!" Scott said casually, dropping the bat to face down with a shrug. Gracie scoffed.

"What? A Predator?" Gracie asked, laughing. "Like… AVP Predator?" She couldn't help but laugh harder when Scott looked away from her hesitantly, confirming her question.

"Look." Stiles said, quieting everyone. "I know it's late, but you gotta hear this!" He dropped his hands down and just swung there upside down as he talked. "I saw my dead leave twenty minutes ago. Dispatch called, they're bringing in every officer from the Beacon police department and even the state police." Excitement laced his voice as he informed Scott. Gracie leaned forward and crossed her arms on the railing of the porch, listening.

"For what?" Scott asked, confused.

"Two joggers found a body in the woods." Gracie said, an excited gleam in her eye. She didn't flinch as Stiles flipped himself back and dropped down next to her, the same gleam in his eye. He grinned and leaned forward, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as addressed Scott.

"A dead body?" Scott asked, moving forward and placing his hands on the railing top. Stiles rolled his eyes.

"No. A body of water. Yes, dumbass. A dead body." Stiles replied before lifting his body over the railing and landing on the porch with a thud. Gracie stayed where she was, arms crossed under her chin as she was in a bent over position watching her two best friends.

"You mean like… murdered?" Scott asked, excitement slowly bubbling inside him as well.

"Nobody knows yet." Stiles shook his head, hands on his hips. "Just that it was a girl, probably in her twenties." Stiles spoke with his hands more so than with his voice, something that had always distracted Gracie when she was with him.

"If they found the body, then what are they looking for?" Scott asked. Gracie stood up straight and crossed her arms.

"I didn't think about that… What are they looking for?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at Stiles. The short haired brunette had one of his mini full-body spasms before grinning.

"That's the best part." Gracie leaned forward in anticipation. "They only found half." He said in a rather sing-song voice. Both Scott and Gracie's eyebrows shot up. Stiles merely nodded before giving a smile. "We're going." His voice was final. Gracie and Scott shared a hesitant look before both of them broke out in grins.

**[Page Break]**

Gracie slammed the passenger door to the Jeep as she hopped out behind Scott . She shoved her hands in her pocket and let out a huff, frowning when she saw her breath in the cold air around her.

"We're seriously doing this?" Scott asked, glancing over at Stiles as the three of them walked around the front of the Jeep to stand in front of the sign that closed off the path reading, "Beacon Hills Preserve: No Entry After Dark." Gracie let out a snort as she kicked the sign, watching it swing.

"You're the one always bitching that nothing ever happens in this town." Stiles responded, flicking on a flashlight and taking the lead. Scott shrugged and followed behind Gracie, who followed behind Stiles.

"I was trying to get a good night's sleep before practice tomorrow." Scott grumbled. Grace rolled her eyes.

"Because you totally need practice when you're on the bench." She countered. "And, it was already midnight when we showed up. Any chance of a 'good night's sleep' was already shot down." She said, stepping over a fallen tree branch. The scenery was pretty familiar to her, as she ran a mile through these woods almost every day.

"No! I'm going play this year. First line." Scott's voice was firm, like he actually believed it.

"Hey, that's the spirit. Everyone should have a dream, even a pathetically unrealistic one. Right, Gracie?" Stiles glanced back at his two friends. Grace ducked quickly to avoid a small branch she hadn't seen and pulled her hood up, not wanting leaves in her hair.

"Out of curiosity, which half of the body are we looking for?" Scott questioned, hands in his pockets as he casually strode behind Stiles' rather quick pace. Stiles stuttered in his movements for a moment.

"Huh! I didn't even think about that." He admitted with a small laugh as he kept going. Gracie blinked, a blank expression on her face.

"And what if the killer is still out here?" She asked quietly. Scott laughed behind her and Stiles ducked his head quickly.

"Also something I didn't think about." Grace groaned, picking up her pace to fit snugly between her two male friends for a sense of safety. Stiles started to climb a pile of dirt and Gracie followed quickly, grunting slightly as she slid down a bit with each move.

"it's comforting to know that you planned this out with your usual attention to detail." Scott replied, breathless from the climbing as well. Gracie let out another snort.

"Not really." She muttered, sending a quick glare at Stiles, who pulled her up to the top of the hill by the wrist gently.

"I know, right?" He responded, breathless as well. The blonde turned when she heard her younger friend wheezing slightly. He stopped his climb to rest against a tree, pulling out his inhaler.

"Maybe the severe asthmatic should be the one holding the flashlight, huh?" He asked as he shook the inhaler.

"He has a point, Stiles." Grace said turning around and following him, just in enough time for both of them to register the lights they saw and duck to the ground by a tree root, Scott following soon enough. Stiles turned off the light and stood up.

"Come on!" He said before running off. Gracie stood up also and started to dash off behind him.

"Stiles, Gracie!" Scott called before taking a puff of his medicine and darting after them. Gracie tried to go from tree to tree to avoid being caught by the police, but lost sight of Scott along the way. She stopped and turned around, looking for him. She took a step back and connected with warm flesh. She screamed and turned around, a light being flashed in her eyes. A couple paces away from her, Stiles had turned around to come face to face with a rather large German Shepard barking at him. He screamed too and dropped to the ground, letting out one of his full-body spasms as he cowered away from the dog and the officer.

"Hold it right there, you two!" The officer yelled. Gracie's green eyes widened and her hands shot up to a defensive position, surrendering to the officer.

"I didn't do it! He made me!" She yelled, closing her eyes tightly.

"Hang on, hang on!" A male voice thundered into the area as Gracie felt the drops of rain pounding on her head through the bat-eared hood. "These two delinquents belong to me!" He said, moving the officer away from the two teenagers. Stiles stood, glancing at his dog through one eye as rain poured down his face and he tried to block out the brightness of the flashlight in his face.

"Dad… how, uh, are you doing?" He asked almost innocently. The Sheriff simply raised an eyebrow at his son.

"So. Do you listen in on all of my phone calls?" He asked with a sigh.

"No." Stiles said quickly. "Not the boring ones." He admitted, his shoulders lowering in defeat. The Sheriff moved over and placed his hand on Grace's shoulder, causing her to lower her arms move to where she was guided, to the Sheriff's side.

"Where is your usual third mate?" He asked, glancing around.

"Who?" Grace asked innocently.

"Scott?" Stiles asked, and then laughed. "He's not here. Said he wanted some good sleep for the first day back at school tomorrow."

"Just us. In the woods. Alone." Gracie said, glancing up at the Sheriff. "With a killer on the loose." The Sheriff, knowing these two kids like the back of his hand, rolled his eyes before flashing his light around the woods.

"Scott, you out there?" He called, knowing the tricks these two played. "Scott?" He called again, only getting thunder in response. Gracie shivered. The Sheriff glanced at her and dropped his light with a sigh.

"Well, you two. I'm escorting you back to the Jeep. Stiles, you and I are going to have a conversation on something called invasion of privacy. And Gracie, you better believe your parents will be hearing about this tomorrow morning." The blonde groaned, throwing her head back as she stomped her foot on the ground in a childlike manner.

"Craaappppp." She groaned out, hoping nothing too horrible would come from it. The Sheriff grabbed Stiles around the back of the neck and began to lead him away, Gracie trudging along behind them with a pout.


	2. You Got Bit?

**Authors Note:** Here's chapter two. I plan on updating this story every Tuesday. So far, I have up to chapter seven written out. (Even though I'm only on episode three of the actual show! Lol.) I hope you all enjoy this story. Please tell me how you feel about it, I welcome opinions of every variety. Thank you!

**[Page Break]**

That morning, Gracie was quick to get out of the house. She didn't want to be anywhere around her parents when Sheriff Stilinski told them of her midnight adventures. She had taken her morning shower and didn't even wait for her hair to dry before she got dressed in her usual jeans, Converse, and a t-shirt with Spock on it that said 'Live Long and Prosper'. She fed Yuki, grabbed her Batman hoodie from last night, her backpack, and the keys to her Altima and was out the door. Her parents were still asleep, and she wanted to avoid the question of 'How did you sleep last night?' or anything related. Because the one true fact in the universe is that Gracie Dent is a horrible liar.

Her dark gray Nissan Altima easily slid into one of the spots in the schools parking lot. She grabbed her stuff and got out, glancing around. Her eyes landed on the worn blue Jeep that pulled in next to her. She slammed her car door and glared at Stiles as he got out with a grin on his face. He walked over to her and opened his arms for a hug.

"Gracie!" He said in a sing-song voice. "You love me. Don't lie." He said, wiggling his eyebrows at her. She rolled her eyes with a laugh and hugged him quickly, locking her car with her keys as she did so.

"Do you know how much trouble I'm going to be in?" She grumbled, pulling away and frowning at her hyperactive friend. He only grinned even more.

"That's the awesome thing about friends." He did a full-body spasm of excitement. "My dad isn't going to tell your parents." He said, throwing his arm around Gracie's shoulder and pulling her towards the school.

"Now come along, little one. Scott got bit by an animal last night and I want to see the wound." He admitted, his eyes on his best friend ahead of them.

"You're a freak, you know that?" She asked, glancing up at Stiles with a raise eyebrow.

"It's what keeps my heart beating." He said solemnly. They stopped their trek when they were next to Scott and Stiles looked around.

"Okay. Let's see this thing." He said, one hand holding his backpack over his shoulder. Scott hissed as he pulled up his shirt to show the covered wound, blood seeping through the white pad over it. Gracie and Stiles let out a harmonious wince at the view and Stiles reached for it, causing Scott to jerk back and glare at his best friend. Grace laughed, pulling Stiles' hand back. Scott reached down for his bag that was beside him.

"It was too dark to see much, but I'm pretty sure it was a wolf." He grunted as he hefted his bag over his shoulder. Stiles arched his eyebrow as he walked between his two friends.

"A wolf bit you?" He asked in disbelief. Scott confirmed with an 'uh-huh'. "Impossible." He and Grace shared a look.

"I heard a wolf howling." Scott let out easily, shrugging it off.

"No, you didn't." Stiles sounded so sure of himself. Scott laughed.

"What do you mean 'no, you didn't'? How do you know what I heard?"

"California doesn't have wolves. Not for like sixty years." Stiles got out through his snickering. Scott looked confused.

"Really?" He asked. He was so sure of what he saw last night.

"Really, bro." Gracie responded, giving Scott a sympathetic look before patting his shoulder.

"There are no wolves in California." Stiles said, clearly getting annoyed. Scott rolled his eyes before giving a small smirk.

"If you don't believe me about the wolf… then you won't believe me about when I tell you that I found the body." Scott grinned. Stiles had his spasm before he let out a giddy grin.

"Are you kidding me?" He asked, excitement bubbling.

"I wish. I'm going to have nightmares for a month, man." Scott said, shuddering as he thought back to the body the night before. Gracie lifted an eyebrow.

"Which half was it?" She asked, leaning forward with her arms crossed and a grin on her face. Stiles sent her a grin and looked at Scott in anticipation.

"The torso…." He responded weakly before shaking his head. "It's so morbid that you two find this exciting." Stiles shook his head.

"That is freaking awesome." He was sincere too. "I mean, this is going to be the best thing that's happened in this town since… since the birth of Lydia Martin." He said as she walked by, watching her. "Hey, Lydia. You look… like you're going to ignore me. Awesome." He turned back to his two friends as he bounced on his feet in irritation.

"You're the cause of this, you know." He said to Scott. "Dragging me down to your nerd depths. I'm a nerd by association. I've been scarlet nerded by you." He muttered as the three of them started to walk into the school as the warning bell rang.

"You know, Stiles. The fact that you made a reference to the Scarlet Letter of your own free will, in fact, makes you the nerd here." Grace countered with a grin. Stiles groaned.

"You're a nerd too, Gracie." He pouted at his older friend. She laughed, pulling her backpack up higher on her shoulder.

"I know." She said proudly. "I'm so pleased with it too." She let out a dreamy sigh before waving to the boys as she went to her own classes. She was a Junior, and they were Sophomores. They didn't have any classes together, but they did manage to score the same lunch period.

**[Page Break****]**

The day went by slowly for a certain blonde girl. She had to drag her feet behind her to actually get from class to class. The lack of sleep the night before was the cause, and all she wanted to do was find Stiles and yell at him. So when that final bell rang, Gracie was out of that school fast. She knew her boys had lacrosse practice until five, and she didn't have track practice on Mondays, so she just drove home. She was glad her parents worked until seven, because she didn't really know if the Sheriff said anything or not, and she did not want to deal with disappointed parents after such a long day.

The moment she opened the door, she was attacked by a white fluff. Laughing, she pushed the large dog away from her long enough to close the door. "Let me change, baby. Then we can go for a run." She cooed to the dog before dashing up the stairs. She listened to the happy pants behind her as she changed into some clothes she wouldn't mind sweating in. She tossed her long blonde hair up into a ponytail and opted for not wearing a jacket. She grabbed her iPod and placed it in the chest pocket of the spandex tank top she wore.

"Come on!" She said in a high voice to her dog as she dashed down the stairs, Yuki following behind her. "We're just going to go around the neighborhood. Stay close." She cooed once again before locking the front door behind her and putting her key in the same chest pocket as her iPod. Then she glanced down at her dog and began to jog to the sidewalk. After a while, her pace picked up to a run, with her dog running directly behind her.

Yuki was a good dog, a great dog, actually. She didn't need her leash to go on these runs. She always followed right behind or beside Gracie, and if she ever strayed away it was only a couple of feet. She came when called and was friendly, so no one in the neighborhood really had any reservations about seeing the large Samoyed without a leash.

Ten minutes of straight running and Gracie slowed down to a jog before stopping completely, bending slightly and resting her hands on her knees as she huffed to catch her breath. She glanced back at her now tired dog and ruffled the stop of the dog's head, scratching behind Yuki's left ear.

"Wanna head back?" She asked before doing a one-eighty and heading back to her house. When she got back home, she fed Yuki and refilled the water bowl before making her way back up to her room. She changed out of the spandex shirt to a red loose fitting t-shirt with 'Bazinga' on it in gold. She had just sat down at her laptop when she heard a beep from her phone to notify her that she had an unread text message still on her phone.

Grace sighed as she snatched the phone from her desk, eyeing her laptops background longingly. She glanced at her phone and saw that she had a text from Stiles, telling her to meet him at the preserve at 5:15. She glanced at the clock on her computer to confirm that it was nearly 4:10 now. She texted back a simple 'ok' before tossing her phone down.

Knowing that she still had almost an hour left, she gleefully clicked the golden 'W' on her background. She was so ready to log in to her level 83 Blood Elf Hunter and kick some Alliance ass. Until despair washed over her body at the sight of the patch update that was needed before she could play.

"Why does everyone hate me?" She asked herself before dropping her head to the desk as she waiting for the download to complete, knowing that it would take nearly half an hour.

**[Page Break]**

"Why are we here?" Gracie asked as she stepped over a branch again, probably the same branch from last night. She was still in her sweatpants and they weren't doing much in the job of protecting her legs from the cold.

"Scott lost his inhaler last night." Stiles said, jumping off of a medium sized rock onto the stick and leaf covered soil. Grace rolled her eyes.

"And what if whatever bit him is still out here?" She asked, arching her eyebrow. Scott glanced back at her from the front of their line.

"Didn't think about that." He muttered. Grace laughed.

"You're turning into Stiles, bro. We don't need another spaz."

"Not cool, man. Not cool." Stiles pouted as he followed along beside his female friend.

"So. How was practice?" Gracie changed the subject quickly. Scott shot her a huge grin and Stiles did his spaz attack.

"You should have seen him! It was crazy! He went from sucking to being a star over night!" Stiles seeped excitement. Grace smiled, happy for her friend.

"That's great!" She said, clapping Scott on the shoulder in congratulations.

"I don't know what it was." Scott said as he jumped from the ground onto a rock to try and cross the stream in the woods. "It was like I had all the time in the world to catch the ball." The three of them splashed through the cold water to get to the other side of the stream. Grace curled her lip when she felt the water seep through her Chucks and to her feet.

"And that's not the only weird thing." He said, turning to his two friends as he waited for them to get across fully. Then he continued walking. "I can hear stuff I shouldn't be able to hear. Smell things." Scott told the two behind him.

"Smell things? Like what?" He wasn't exactly sold on his friends statements. Scott could tell.

"Like the Mint Mojito gum in your pocket." He cockily shot back. Stiles rolled his eyes before reaching into his pocket.

"I don't even have any Mint Mojito…" He trailed off as he pulled out one small piece of gum from his pocket. Scott lifted his arms as if to say, 'see?' and Grace rolled her eyes.

"Right. How do I know you two aren't just messing with me?" She asked, eyeing her friends suspiciously.

"You ran after school, didn't you?" Scott asked, turning towards Grace. "But you didn't take a shower and when you went to meet us, you just sprayed some of that girly body spray you have. I think it's…" He sniffed a bit in the air. "Is that Axe? Really?" Scott looked at his friend in disbelief. Gracie's eyes were wide.

"H-How… That's… so. Ugh! Now I'm self-conscious! That's so gross that you can tell that!" She complained, kicking a nearby stick away from her.

"Why are you wearing Axe?" Stiles asked, glancing at the blonde. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"It was my brothers. I like the way it smells. So I took it." She muttered, pouting.

"Every day I'm with you, I question your true gender." Stiles said solemnly before patting her shoulder in sympathy. Gracie gaped at him before punching him in the shoulder.

"Jerk!" She yelled, laughing anyway. He laughed it off before turning to Scott.

"So all of this started with a bite?" He asked, moving to put the gum back in his pocket. Grace reached over and snatched it, unwrapping it and popping it into her mouth. He rolled his eyes at her before following Scott.

"What if it's like an infection and my body is flooding with adrenaline before I go into shock or something?" He asked, turning to Gracie. Both of her parents worked at the hospital, so he thought she would know. She shook her head.

"I don't know much about that… but I've never heard of an infection causing an adrenaline rush." She shrugged.

"You know what? I actually think I've heard of this." Stiles said, glancing at his friends. "It's a specific kind of infection." Gracie raised her eyebrow and laughed at Stiles, wondering what he was going to say.

"Are you serious?" She asked, amusement filling her face.

"Yeah." Stiles said, stopping. "I think it's called lycanthropy." Gracie bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. She turned her head to the side so Scott wouldn't see her struggling for composure.

"What's that? Is it bad?" He asked. Gracie straightened up and nodded.

"Oh yeah. It's the worse. I've heard of it too. I think Stiles is on to something." She said, crossing her arms with a serious expression on her face.

"It's only bad once a month." Stiles was serious, no sign of amusement on his face.

"Once a month…?" Scott asked his voice soft.

"Mm-hmm." Stiles nodded. "On the night of the full moon." Then he let out a soft, fake howl. Gracie laughed, shaking her head. Scott shoved Stiles with a laugh.

"Hey, you were the one you said you heard a wolf howling." Stiles shrugged with a laugh as he followed behind Scott again.

"There could be something seriously wrong with me, guys!" Scott was exasperated.

"I know!" Stiles said, believing his friend. "You're a werewolf!" He joked with a playful fake growl. Scott glared at him and Stiles sobered up.

"Okay. That was obviously a joke." He said with a sigh. "But if you see me in shop class trying to melt all the silver I can find, it's cause Friday's a full moon." Gracie glanced over at Stiles. He was right. The three of them stopped and Scott looked around.

"No, I could have sworn this was it." He said, looking around some more. He shuffled through the leaves with his foot. "I saw the body, the deer came running." He mumbled, looking for his inhaler. "I dropped my inhaler." He said, bending down finally.

Grace glanced around for a while, seeing if she could catch anything bright on the ground. "Maybe the killer moved the body." She said with a shrug.

"If he did, I hope he left my inhaler." Scott joked. "Those things are like eighty bucks." He grumbled, shifting through the leaves. Grace looked around again and jumped when she saw a rather imposing guy standing a few feet away. He was big, muscular, with dark hair and a pale complexion.

"Shit!" She said, backing up into Stiles. He steadied her and hit Scott on the shoulder. Scott turned and stood up. The three looked at him carefully, unsure of what the dude wanted. He started to walk closer. He looked angry.

"What are you three doing here?" He asked. Oh yeah. He was angry. No one responded. "This is private property." He spat out. Grace reared her head back.

"All the woods are belong to you?" She drawled out, referencing a popular meme on the internet. She ran through these woods all the time. No one ever stopped her before. The guy's sharp gray-green eyes turned to her in a glare. Her eyebrow arched and she felt a shiver down her spine, something telling her not to mess with this guy. Stiles grabbed her wrist from her side.

"Uhh, sorry man. We didn't know." He said, shifting his eyes away from the guy.

"Yeah. We were just looking for something, but…" Scott trailed off, staring at the guy. The black-haired man looked at Scott with irritation and impatience, waiting for him to finish. "Forget it." Suddenly the guy reached in the pocket of his leather jacket and tossed Scott an object. It was his inhaler. Gracie looked at the guy hesitantly and took a step back and towards Stiles. They didn't know if this dude was the one that killed the girl or not. He could kill all three of them right now. And no one would know for a while. The guy turned around and started to walk away.

"Alright. Come on, guys. I gotta get to work." Scott grumbled. Stiles stood there gaping as he focused on the face that was just before thing.

"Dude, that was Derek Hale." He stopped Scott. "You remember him right? He's only like a few years older than us." He turned to Gracie. "Wasn't he friends with your brother?" He asked.

Gracie furrowed her eyebrows as she thought back to when Tyler was in school. "Not that I know of… Hale?" She asked, getting a nod from Stiles. "There was a Laura Hale that came over every so often, but only because she was lab partners with Ty… She had a brother. But he was… not buff." She twitched a brow.

"What am I supposed to remember about him?" Scott was confused.

"His family." He said, wondering if it would bring up any memories. Realization crossed Grace's face and she looked to where Derek had retreated from. That _was_ Laura's brother. Only three people from the Hale family are still alive.

"They all burnt to death in a fire, like, ten years ago." Stiles informed Scott.

"I wonder what he's doing back…" Scott pondered out loud. Grace nodded in silent agreement as Stiles scoffed, wondering the same thing. He turned away and started to walk.

"Come on…" Scott and Gracie followed behind Stiles, both eager to get out of the woods.


	3. Party Time

**Author's Note:** Yay. Chapter three. This is exciting. A story I'm actually updating when I say I'll update. Hope you enjoy this chapter~! Leave me reviews to tell me how I'm doing? I'd appreciate it.

**[Page Break]**

"You're joking, right?" Grace's voice was monotone with a hint of disbelief as she responded to Scott's story of the night before and his morning. Scott sighed.

"I'm serious, Gracie! I'm freaking out." He muttered, running a hand through his dark hair. She leaned back against the locker behind her.

"No. Not the wolfing out part. The Allison part… You mean that attractive new girl is going to the party this Friday with you?" She asked, arching an eyebrow at her younger friend. Scott narrowed his eyes at her as Stiles buried his face in her shoulder to muffle his snickers.

"Aren't you supposed to congratulate your best friend through this instead of shooting his ego down?" He grumbled with a pout rather prominent on his face.

"You would think that, wouldn't you?" She pondered aloud before moving away from the locker. "You go ahead and get ready; Stiles and I are heading out." She grabbed Stiles' wrist and pulled him along behind her. He followed like an obedient puppy.

"What position are you this year?" Stiles questioned his blonde friend as they turned the corner.

"Since Jasmine graduated last year, I've been promoted up to second in sprints and first in middle-distance running. Coach wants me to try either cross-country or one of the long-distance running courses this year." She grinned. She wasn't a very athletic person, but she knew how to run. She had been on the schools track and field team for all three of her years there, and she did it in middle school too.

Stiles pouted. "Sucks that both of my friends are better than me." She threw her arm around his waist affectionately.

"Shut up, bro. You know you're as awesome as Scott and I. Or else I wouldn't be hanging out with you." She pointed out. Stiles rolled his eyes.

"We've been friends since I was in the first grade." Grace shrugged.

"I'll tell you a secret if you promise not to tell Scott." She whispered in a sing-song tone. Stiles perked up and leaned forward with a nod, wanting her to continue.

"You'll always be my favoritest friend ever." She kissed his cheek before walking away from him to go over to the other track girls. Stiles grinned and shook his head.

"Favoritest isn't a word!" He called to her. She just waved him off.

Her track practice wasn't too interesting; just some jogging and the coach separating the girls and giving the newbies a layover of the rules. She spent most of her time watching the boys' lacrosse team practice. They were having their elimination match today to see who made first line. She wanted both of her boys to make it. She winced when she saw Scott get tackled to the ground by Jackson and shook her head. Then she watched him get up and go right back to it. It was then that she noticed that Stiles was sitting on the bench. She frowned slightly and ran a hand through her long hair as her gaze shifted back to Scott, who was doing some pretty rad acrobatics before he scored a shot. She let out a soft cheer, causing the girls around her to look at her like she was crazy. Hell, they should really be used to her behavior by now.

**[Page Break]**

It was later that night when Grace got home from practice and finished her homework that she sat down at her laptop and stared at the black screen for a few moments. She turned on her computer and grabbed her cellphone as she waited for it to boot up. Pressing number two on her speed-dial, she brought the headset for her phone up to her head and stared off into space.

After three rings he answered. "Scott's a werewolf." His voice was full of excitement mixed with fear. Gracie quirked her eyebrow before typing in her password to log in.

"Really now? You're still going on about that?" She asked dryly as she clicked up Google Chrome and set out to check her email. Stiles let out a sigh.

"I'm serious, Gracie. I think Scott is really a werewolf. I've been looking up all this information and it all just fits! He said he was bit by what he thought was a wolf, and then he suddenly is number one at lacrosse and he doesn't need his inhaler? Not to mention his enhanced senses. It's the only thing that makes sense!" Grace thought for a moment, her eyes scanning over her emails to confirm the fact that she indeed had a poor social life over the internet before she spun in her chair and stared at the poster on the other side of the room.

"You really believe this?" She asked quietly, her eyebrows furrowing. Stiles sighed deeply before he muttered.

"Yeah… I do." He was sincere, and Grace was a good friend.

"Then I believe you. You do make a decent argument." She began to spin back and forth, her eyes on her ceiling.

"Scott's on his way over. I'm going to tell him." Stiles informed the blonde.

"Bro. You're going to either totally freak him out or totally piss him off just before his first date. So rude." She let out a scoffing laugh to say that she found it more amusing than mean. She could almost feel Stiles roll his eyes.

"Well, I'm worried, Gracie. It says here that werewolves get heightened bloodlust during full moons. The full moon is tonight. If he is a werewolf… He could really hurt someone." He was quiet. Grace stopped her spinning.

"Then I think you're doing the right thing, sweetie." She said softly. "If you truly believe this, he deserves to know. And he's your best friend. He won't turn you away." She smiled slightly as she heard Stiles laugh.

"Yeah. Oh hey, he's here. I gotta go!" He said and hung up really fast. She didn't bother disconnecting her headset once the call was done; only turned back around to face her computer. She blew a raspberry out of boredom as she clicked through random pages on the net. When that didn't entertain her, she closed out her browser and clicked the lovely golden 'W' on her background. World of Warcraft always kept her busy. Thankful she had downloaded the patch earlier that week, she was able to swiftly log on to her secondary character; a Blood Elf Mage.

She was in the middle of a fight with the last boss of Stratholme when her phone vibrated. Being an Arcane Mage, she didn't have any qualms about going AFK in the middle of the fight, especially since she was higher than the tank on the damage charts. She pressed the accept button on the screen since she already had her headset on and let out a short, "Hello."

"I told him." Stiles' voice was soft. Grace arched a brow like she usually did and sent her Arcane Missiles at the boss, whose health was now 60k.

"And?" She drawled out.

"He… he attacked me." Stiles whispered, obviously shaken up. Grace pulled away from her game.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you? What did you say? Where is he?" She demanded as she stood up and started to pull on a pair of jeans over her black shorts. She was ready to go after Scott and lay it on him.

"I'm fine, Gracie. Stop over reacting." Stiles groaned, his voice muffled. "His bloodlust is just heightened… But he's a werewolf. I can confirm it. There are claw marks in my chair. And the way he shoved me against the wall… He's never acted like that before. Ever." Gracie hesitated for a moment before she sat back down. She quickly pressed 'Greed' on all the items up on the computer screen and left the party.

"Are you sure you're okay, Stiles?" She asked softly.

"I'm fine." Stiles said shortly. "But look. Scott's going to that party with Allison. He might do something he'll regret. I think we—"

"We should go." Gracie perked up, interrupting Stiles. "Wanna be my date, sweet cheeks?" She teased. Stiles floundered for a moment.

"I-Uh. Yeah. I'll be over in about twenty minutes." He knew it was completely platonic. His end of the line went dead as he hung up and Gracie blinked. A party, she thought. What the hell was she supposed to wear?

Blowing another raspberry, she pulled the headset off of her head and logged out of WoW. She slid her chair back and glared at her closet door. She thrust it open and shifted around. She glanced back at Yuki, who was lounging out on her bed watching Grace.

"Yo dog. You gotta help me out. Tell me what looks good." She addressed the dog, who perked up and stared at her master. After several moments of showing articles of clothing to the dog and only getting a blank stare, Grace rolled her eyes.

"You are no help." She muttered, violently shoving hangers to the side.

"Whoa kiddo, don't take it out on the closet." A voice from her doorway sounded with a chuckle immediately following. Grace shifted her eyes up and saw her father standing in the doorway with a smile on his face.

"Guh." She responded, flailing her arms. "What do kids wear to parties these days?" She asked her father. Erik Dent looked at his daughter skeptically. In all his years, the surgeon never once knew his daughter to be interested in parties or what other people did or thought.

"A t-shirt, jeans, and Converse." He replied, laughing at the sour look his daughter gave him. He shrugged. "What?" He asked innocently.

"You're a horrible person." She mumbled, her lips in a pout. Her father laughed and turned around.

"Be home by eleven. Dinner will be in the fridge." He walked out of her room. Grace groaned and let her head drop against the side of her closet in frustration. Sucking it up and listening to her dad, she did stick to her normal attire. She switched her pajama shorts and tank top with a pair of dark jeans, a baggy light gray t-shirt with the outline of an owl on it in metallic gold, and a pair of black hi-top Chucks.

When she heard the doorbell ring, she made her trek downstairs and grabbed her black jacket from the coat rack. She opened the door and gave Stiles a smile before snatching her keys off the wall and yelling to her parents.

"I'll be back later!" She closed the door behind her. Stiles offered his arm playfully with a bow and she took it. "Why thank you, good sir." She gave a fake curtsey as he escorted her to his jeep. Staying in character, he opened and shut the door for her before climbing in on the other side.

"So." Grace dropped her head to rest on the seat. "Shoved against the wall, huh?" She asked. Stiles glanced at her, gripping the steering wheel.

"Yeah…" He trailed off, not really wanting to talk about it.

"Kinky." She said before turning her eyes to the road. Stiles snickered beside her and Grace grinned. She knew how to make her friends feel better, that's why she was around. The rest of the car ride was pretty silent, both of them in their own thoughts.

When they got to the party, it was already going strong. The pair made their way inside and began to look around for Scott. Grace found him outside with Allison and slapped Stiles' arm. He glanced in that direction and nodded. He wasn't going to approach, only look out from a distance.

"Well. I'm getting a drink." Grace announced. Stiles eyed her.

"Be careful. There's probably alcohol in the punch." He joked. Grace laughed and headed towards the punch table. She filled up a cup and took a gulp. She scrunched her nose up. Oh yeah, definitely alcohol. She shrugged it off and swallowed some more, looking back at Scott. She noticed his gaze was off in the distance and she followed it. She spotted Derek Hale on the other side of the pool by a tin garbage can that was on fire. He was staring at Scott. Keeping her eyes on Derek, she downed the rest of her drink and refilled it, walking over to Stiles.

"Bro. The wood elf is here." She pointed over to Derek's figure. Stiles eyed it and turned to look at Scott. When he glanced back at Derek, he was gone.

"Where'd he go?" He asked out, looking around but not seeing anything. Grace looked around too and shrugged when she saw nothing.

"Oh well." She took another drink. "You know… I didn't know how bad alcohol tasted until now." She admitted, glancing at Stiles.

"What? There really is alcohol in the punch?" He smelled her drink and pulled back with a groan. "Your dad is going to kill me." He ran a hand over his face.

"Not if he doesn't know. Duh." Grace rolled her eyes. She glanced around at everyone dancing. "Why aren't we dancing?" She asked, glaring at Stiles. "Everyone else is."

"Since when did you want to be like everyone else?" Stiles asked, grabbing her wrist and pulling her inside.

"Since I drank alcohol for the first time and felt like being the cliché hormonal teenager at a party." She shrugged, downing the rest of the drink and tossing the cup to the side carelessly. Stiles laughed.

"I guess we could conform for one night." He shrugged as he reached out to her. They tried to dance for a few minutes, but it was too awkward and Grace pulled back.

"What the hell are we doing?" She asked, raising her hands in the air in exasperation.

"I have no idea." Stiles shook his head. The two of them wandered off and found a group of people to just chat with for a while. The conversation had just turned to the subject of zombie video games when Scott came stumbling pass.

"Yo, Scott… You okay?" Stiles asked, steadying his friend. Scott didn't say anything as he just walked away holding his head. Stiles and Grace shared a look before they went after Scott. While going down the stairs, Gracie felt a little lightheaded and swayed, grabbing Stiles sleeve to steady herself.

"Whoa." She said curtly. He turned towards her and sighed in annoyance.

"This is why you don't drink at parties, especially if it's your first time!" He gripped her upper arm gently and guided her down the stairs. She blinked a few times to try and stop her head from spinning, but that did nothing.

"Broooo, this is so not cool." She grumbled. Once they were outside, Stiles watched Scott drive off in the car and noticed Allison standing by the sidewalk.

"There's your wood elf…" Stiles muttered, causing Gracie to lift her head and narrow her eyes at the dark haired man in the distance.

"We should go say hi." Her head tilted up to look at Stiles. "He's far away from the forest; he might be needing a friend that isn't a squirrel." She tried to walk away, but Stiles held her in place.

"The only place you are going is home and to bed." He said before pulling her away.

"No! Mr. Hale has been in the woodlands for so long. He's finally ventured from his natural habitat. He might need a helping hand to scoot him along the right path. The path… to victory!" Grace whispered excitedly. Stiles did a spasm and rolled his eyes.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He asked, confused.

"I have nooooo idea." She giggled. Stiles helped her into the passenger seat of his Jeep before eyeing Derek's black Camero that drove by them. He got in the driver's seat and started the car, taking off towards Gracie's house.

"Where are we going?" She tilted her head to look at Stiles, blinking her eyes to stay awake.

"Home." He said simply, glancing at her. "Go to sleep, okay?" He reached over and patted her knee gently. She simply nodded before drifting off to sleep. Stiles couldn't help but shake his head at his older best friend that was supposed to the responsible one, wondering how this even happened. And what he was going to say to her parents when he got her home.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>: Drunk Gracie is funny. Yes, yes. I know it's highly implausible that Gracie would be drunk after two full glasses of alcohol mixed with punch. However! This is, surprisingly, her FIRST TIME every even drinking alcohol. (Such a goody-two-shoes) And since she's thin from all the running she does, it doesn't exactly take long for it to hit her system. Also, from my experience, when people drink (no matter how little) they seem to lose themselves in a silly stupor and act more hyper than they generally are because their brain tells them since they're drinking alcohol, they need to act drunk.

At least, that's what my brain tells me. Lol.


	4. He's The Killer

The next morning, Gracie woke up in a fit of confusion and disorientation. She stood up out of bed quickly and swayed. She looked around her room with narrowed eyes, not exactly remembering how she got there. Turning around to check her bed for any strangers, she came face to face with a white fuzzball and a wet tongue.

"Gah! Yuki! No!" She flailed her arms to get the dog away from her and jerked her head back quickly. Wrong thing to do. She stumbled back a few steps before she felt flat onto her ass with a loud thud and a resounding 'oof'. She scrambled away from the approaching mass of fur and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

"Ha!" She yelled victoriously, smirking when she heard Yuki paw at the door sadly. Grace turned around and quickly went about her morning routine; potty, shower, brush teeth, toss hair in a ponytail, throw on a pair of jeans, her Converse, and a black t-shirt that said "Aperture Science" on the front in white, and shove her contacts into her eyes.

She left her bathroom and pulled on a pair of socks that happened to be lying on her floor. She opened her bedroom door and Yuki went running out, shoving Grace.

"Thanks, dog." She called down the stairs after the mutt, following after her. Once downstairs, she opened the backdoor and let Yuki outside as she went to find breakfast. Her mother and father were in the kitchen when she arrived, her father sitting at the kitchen bar with a newspaper and coffee in his hands and her mother was shifting through the fridge for nutrients.

"Morning, kiddo." Erik greeted his daughter as she peeked over her mom's shoulder into the fridge. Not seeing anything appetizing, she decided on leaning against the counter and watching her parents.

"Yeeaahhh." She drawled out, not really wanting to be awake.

"Must've been a wild party last night, huh?" Her mother asked after she closed the door to the refrigerator. Grace glanced over with a raise eyebrow. "You were only gone for about two hours, but you were passed out when Stiles brought you home."

"Stiles brought me home?" She didn't remember that. Her father stared at her as he took a drink from his coffee. "Oh yeah. Yeah!" She nodded in confirmation. "Wild party. Lots of dancing. You know, unce-unce-unce-unce." Grace shook her hips and flailed her arms for a minute before she rolled her eyes and grabbed a muffin from the counter.

"Parties are stupid. It was a bunch of kids grinding against each other trying to have sex with their clothes on." She took a bite out of the muffin and shrugged.

"If it wasn't fun, what wore you out so much?" Her mother asked, seeing through her farce. Grace sighed dramatically, bringing her forearm over her head as she threw it back.

"You caught me! I was one of those kids grinding. Stiles and I had a lot of fun, you know." She winked playfully at her mother, causing the older woman to laugh.

"Some days I wonder what I'm going to do with you, child of mine." Alexandra shook her head with a grin before gasping at the time. "Crap, Erik, we have to go! I'll be late!" She panicked for a few moments before kissing Gracie on the cheek and dashing out the door. Erik sat his newspaper down and chugged the rest of the coffee in his mug.

"It's mornings like these that I forget why I carpool with your mother." He shook his head with a laugh as he too kissed Grace's cheek and walked out the door. Grace laughed at her family, loving them dearly, before she walked over to the back door and whistled for Yuki. The white Samoyed came running and stopped in front of her, panting and wagging her tail happily.

"D'awww. Look at my little Yukiiiiiii." She cooed, scratching behind the dogs' ear affectionately. "Mommy loves you soooo much. But she has to go to school now. You behave and I'll be home after track practice!" She placed a kiss on top of the dog's head before shutting and locking the back door, grabbing her keys, and taking off towards school.

((**A/N:** I'm aware this is a hole in the storyline, as the party took place on Friday. HOWEVER, official summaries of the first episode of Teen Wolf state that yes, the party was on Friday, but Scott met with Allison THE NEXT DAY and realized her father was a hunter. And they met at school. SO. Not my fault. It's Teen Wolfs'.))

**[Page Break]**

Later that night at around eight, Gracie was entranced by two things; a Skype conversation with Stiles and World of Warcraft.

"You really are addicted." Stiles' voice filtered into her ears from the Turtle Beaches headset that rested atop her head. Knowing she was on video chat as well, she quirked her face at him and rolled her eyes.

"And that's a problem, how?" She right clicked a target in front of her and pressed '1' repeatedly to attack. Stiles snorted.

"Don't you want to be social and ask me how my day went?" He hinted. Grace glanced up at the camera on her laptop and nodded her head.

"Sure, Stiles." She cleared her throat. "Oh my dear best friend of many a year, how hath you faired today on this glorious day? I do hope all was well with you and your trials." Her voice was in a higher, clearer pitch as she tried to imitate an aristocrat. Stiles shook his head at her with a smile.

"Well. Have you talked to Scott today?" He was quiet, indicating something had happened between the two. She shook her head.

"Nah. I skipped lunch today, remember? And I got to school late. So I didn't really see either of you." She shrugged, not really minding. She could always talk to her boys like this on Skype.

"He tried to kill me today." When Stiles saw the change of expression on Grace's features, he was quick to add on to this statement. "It was the wolf, not him! He got angry during lacrosse practice and it triggered his bloodlust. I got him to the locker room before he could wolf out in front of everyone, but that left me as the only target." Stiles didn't sound too incredibly pleased about it, and Grace didn't blame him.

"Why did he get that angry? What happened?" She asked as she declined the invitation to a party and logged out of the game. Her mouse then guided her to 4chan and she immersed herself in the land of ponies and crazies.

"Jackson was being Jackson…" Stiles muttered, running a hand over his buzzed head. Grace snorted at that comment, mixed with the My Little Pony thread she was reading. "That and Scott found out that Allison's dad is one of the hunters that was in the woods… the one that shot him, actually."

"Brooo." Grace perked up at that. "That is so crappy. Does she know?" She asked, pressing the button to go to the next page. Stiles shook his head.

"We don't think so. Hey, Scott's online. Want to start a convo?" The brunette questioned. Grace nodded and quickly sent an invite to her now werewolf friend. He accepted quickly. Stiles being the crazy that he is, pretended to shoot Scott with a toy gun when he accepted and joined the call. Grace rolled her eyes at his antics and remained quiet, her eyes scanning the obscene pictures that accompanied the website she was browsing.

"What'd you find out?" Scott asked, addressing Stiles. The other brunette shifted in his chair and sighed.

"Well, it's bad. Jackson's got a separated shoulder." Stiles' words made Scott sigh in frustration.

"Because of me?" He asked, upset that he could do something like that. Gracie rolled her eyes and interjected.

"Because he's a tool, Scott." She countered his frustration with logic.

"Well, is he going to play?" Scott asked, referring to the game this weekend.

"I don't know yet. Now they're just counting on you for Saturday." Stiles informed his friend, causing Scott to sigh.

"I'm so proud of you, sweetie. Taking out the captain and establishing what should be yours. My little baby is all grown up now." Grace wiped away a fake tear. Scott shook his head with a small grin on his face, used to her antics but not exactly feeling too proud at the moment. Grace shifted her eyes up to look at the little boxes in the corner of her screen that showed Stiles and Scott and saw Stiles focusing on something. She brought up his screen to full-view it and noticed that he was looking in the area where his own box for Scott would be. Following that lead, she full-screened Scott's box and narrowed her eyes.

"Shit." She whispered softly. Even though the headset she was wearing would cause that to ring out to both of her companions, she knew they would think she was just playing World of Warcraft or Star Trek Online or Left 4 Dead or something.

"What?" Scott asked, irritated with both of their intense gazes. Stiles glanced at his camera and didn't want to say anything. So instead he typed a message out; 'It looks likes', then Stiles paused, 'There is someone behind you.' After he sent the first message, Scott looked confused, even after the second one went through for Grace.

"It looks like what?" Scott was confused, and Grace realized that his screen froze for a moment and hadn't loaded the second part of the message.

"Scott." Grace said softly into the microphone. "It looks like… someone's behind you." She whispered.

"What?" Scott asked, eyes wide as he did something on his computer before turning around. Just as he turned around, the figure came into the frame and grabbed Scott, slamming him against the wall. Grace tried to hear what was being said, but couldn't make it out. She and Stiles spent the next few minutes calling out Scott's name, but then suddenly the guy took off out the window. Scott tried to catch his breath from being scared before he made his way to the computer again.

"That was… Derek Hale." He said, sitting down in his chair. He looked terrified. "He said if I play in the game this weekend, he will kill me." Grace scoffed.

"I'd like to see him try! Watch him go after you! I swear to God I will find all the silver I can manage and tear him to shreds if he lays another hand on you!" She growled out angrily, clenching her fists as she leaned forward. Scott shook his head.

"I don't…" He stopped his sentence. "I can't play this weekend. It's too dangerous. For myself and others…" He didn't know what else to do. "I think Derek's the killer." He changed the subject. Grace arched a brow, calmer than before.

"Why would that not surprise me?" She clicked a few things on her computer before pulling back and leaning against the back of her chair, slowly spinning in one direction, then back in the other.

"Because he's a freaking werewolf!" Stiles growled out.

"Yeah, but you guys don't even know him. You really going to jump to conclusions like that?" Grace swiveled again in her chair.

"Gracie. You just said it wouldn't surprise you." Scott laughed before continuing. "And the way he was there when I tried to show you guys were I found the body, he's protective of the woods…. The way he just attacked me. I think he's hiding more than just the fact that he's a werewolf."

"Of course he is! He's a wood elf! That's why he's so, 'Rawr, woods are mine, broski.'" Grace tried to deepen her voice as she mocked Derek.

"I don't think that's accurate." Stiles narrowed his eyes as he looked at the camera in confusion. Grace laughed.

"Whatever, bro. I'm tired. I'm taking my happy ass to bed. Catch you guys tomorrow." She said before ending their call and stretching, she was so ready for bed.

**[Page Break]**

"Wait… what?" Gracie was confused. Well, more like she couldn't follow Stiles jabbering when she was in the middle of her run. She had stopped halfway through when her phone went off, leaning against a tree as she listened to Stiles ramble on about Derek Hale and Scott and werewolves and 'holy crap, dead bodies'.

"Derek Hale is the murderer! Scott went to his place to confront him about Allison and the party and he said he smelled blood and so we think that he's hiding the body on his property and we think he's the killer and we're going to go dig up the body and we want you to go." Stiles said all in one breath. Gracie blinked.

"Where… are you now?" She twitched her brow upwards.

"The hospital. Scott's checking on the other half of the body to see if the scent is the same." There was a sound like Stiles was moving his phone around. "Hold on, Scotts here." There was muffled talking and then Stiles was clear again. "It's a match. We have proof that Derek is the killer." Gracie took in a sharp breath and glanced around her surroundings, hesitant.

"Where are you, Gracie? Do you need us to pick you up?" Stiles questioned his blonde friend. She let out a sarcastic laugh and looked at the trees around her.

"No. Not really. I'm pretty close." She started to walk further into the woods. She was on her usual running trail through the woods, which often went by the burnt down house Stiles was planning on going to. However, with the knowledge that Derek was the killer… She wasn't feeling exactly safe out in the woods right now. Not like she used to. You know, before crazy werewolves starting tearing young girls apart and eating their intestines.

"Close?" The sound of a car door being closed reverberated through her ears. "Where exactly are you, Gracie?" His voice was low. He knew his track star friend went running every day, and that a lot of the time she went through the woods to clear her head. But Stiles had hoped she would be smart enough to avoid the woods after Scotts attack. Then again, Gracie wasn't the brightest bulb in the box.

"Uhh." She laughed nervously. "I'm at the preserve. Running… You know… Dreaming of ponies and glitter." She shifted nervously as she continued on.

"Gracie! Get back to your car and wait for us! It's not safe for you to be out there!" Stiles growled out. Gracie shook her head with her eyes closed.

"Stiles, I didn't bring my car! I ran here! That was the point." She rolled her eyes, kicking a stick away from her.

"Get to the road and wait for us. We'll pick you up." Gracie sighed at his pestering and turned around, only to jump and scream at the figure before her.

"Shit!" She clutched her phone in her hand, staring at Derek Hale with wide, terrified eyes. "I-I have to go Stiles. I'll call you back…" She pulled the phone away from her ear.

"Gracie! Don't you hang up on me! What happened? Gra—" He was cut off as she ended the call. She held the phone tightly in her hands, which were clasped in front of her. The older male was watching her with eyes like a predator, silent but ready to pounce.

"What are you doing here?" He repeated the question he had asked the first time they came face to face with one another. Gracie could feel her heart start to beat faster with her rising nerves. She glanced around quickly, looking for a way out.

"U-Uhm… I-I run this trail a lot…" She shifted uncomfortably. She couldn't see a way out and turned her gaze back to the green-gray eyes in front of her. She mentally slapped herself and tried to get over the fact that a killer was right in front of her and could kill her right now.

"I know. I see you." He responded, cool as ice. Gracie narrowed her eyes at him.

"Then why did you ask why I was here?" She didn't give him time to finish. "Just because you think you're some fucking nymph that owns these woods? Like they are yours? What's so special about this preserve that us weak little humans can't step foot in them? Is it because I'm not a werewolf? Is that it?" She took a step forward, her words flying out of her mouth before she could even realize what she was saying. "Because, seriously. You should really get that attitude of yours checked out. Last time I knew, this was state property. Not Derek Hale's." She crossed her arms.

Her ego immediately deflated when Hale took a step forward, his eyebrows furrowed in anger. She stepped back quickly and bumped into a tree. He growled lowly. "It's dangerous in these woods. Especially at night." He leaned toward her.

"You wouldn't want to run into the wrong person, now would you?" He whispered, scowling at the younger blonde. She swallowed thickly and shook her head in a silent 'no'. He pulled back, a smirk plastered on his face.

"I suggest you head home." He didn't say anything else as he walked around her and headed deeper into the forest. Gracie stood there for a few moments, willing her heart to stop beating so fast. She leaned her head back against the tree and let out a relieved sigh, glad he was gone. She felt her knees give out and she slid down the tree, trying to catch her breath. She didn't know how long she was there, but the vibration in her pocket brought her out of her terrified state. She fumbled around and finally brought the object to her ear.

"H-Hello?" She whispered, glancing back behind the tree to look around for Derek.

"Gracie! Where are you?" Stiles screamed on the other line. She winced and pulled the phone away from her ear, relaxing at the sound of her best friends' voice.

"I'm in the woods still… I ran into Derek." She breathed out as she grunted to stand up straight. She wasn't wearing much protection from the cold or the objects that were poking into her legs, as she was dressed for a run. She just had on a pair of black running shoes, a pair of black sweatpants, and a loose fitting gray sweater that said 'I'm a fucking zombie' on it.

"What do you mean? Did he hurt you?" Stiles sounded panicked. Gracie made out Scotts voice in the background and Stiles' muffled words. Suddenly Scott's voice came on the phone.

"What did he say to you, Gracie?" Scott sounded pretty mad.

"He just told me to be careful in the woods." She paraphrased greatly, she knew that. But she didn't want either of her friends flipping out more than they already were.

"We're at Derek's now; he just left in his Camero. Can you meet us there?" He was more than willing to sniff her out in the woods and get her if he needed to. She glanced around and started to go in the direction that Derek had went when he left her.

"I can make it there. Just give me a few minutes, okay?" She waited for Scott's response before she pulled her phone away from her ear and ended the call. Her green eyes shifted around the woods and she felt a chill run up her spine. She didn't feel comfortable at all anymore. When she heard a small noise behind her, she let out a yelp and took off running in the direction of Derek Hale's burnt down house.


	5. Caught!

**I've received a surprising amount of reviews and story alerts, which has caused me to want to post the next chapter up sooner rather than later. I have up to chapter eleven already written, I was just hoping to space them out a bit.**

**Again, I would like to state that I do not own Teen Wolf, nor much of the plot line. I own the Dent family and that's it.**

**Thanks for all the support I've received! I really do appreciate it! :D Keep reviewing and letting me know what you like, what you don't like, and what not about the story!**

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><p>Gracie reached the end of the tree line in a matter of minutes, Derek's house in plain view. She continued running when she heard Scott and Stiles' muffled voices. She saw them already at the side of the house with shovels in their hands. She skidded to a stop behind Scott and panted to regain her breath.<p>

"Shit, Gracie. You could've walked here." Scott looked at her with a mix of amusement and confusion. His shovel was imbedded in the ground and they didn't exactly have much done. Instead of responding to Scott, she stared at where they were digging.

"You guys are seriously doing this?" She asked in a low, excited whisper. It wasn't good excitement either. She was hushed and glanced around; almost thinking Derek could be watching them right at that moment. She could feel paranoia begin to set in.

Scott grunted out as he shoveled another pile of dirt. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, feeling the night air get to her.

She kicked a pile of loose dirt back into the hole Stiles and Scott were slowly creating, earning a glare from Stiles as he scooped out a pile of dirt. She held back her smile at his frustration. They were quiet for a while, just the sound of nature echoing around them. Gracie focused on the sound of an owl hooting in the distance for a while before she shivered.

"Do you have a jacket in your jeep?" She poked the back of a buzzed head to get the drivers attention. He gave a spaz for a moment before he turned to look at her, not pleased with her interruptions.

"Yes. I do. Go get it." He pulled the keys from his pocket and tossed them to her. She pouted momentarily before waltzing to his car and grabbing Stiles' larger black hoodie. She pulled it on before shutting and locking the Jeep. When she got back to the boys, she tapped Stiles on the shoulder and held out both of her hands, one containing the keys to the Jeep and the other for the shovel. He arched his eyebrow before handing her the shovel. She jumped down into the hole as Stiles climbed out and began to dig.

"Figured the weak little humans could switch on and off." She said with a grin as she grunted to lift a pile of dirt. Stiles chuckled behind her as he sat down on the ground cross-legged. After twenty minutes of digging, Gracie was worn out. She had dirt stains on her pants, sweater, and Stiles' jacket. She even had dirt on her face from where she would wipe the sweat with her hand. She huffed and leaned back from her work. They had gotten about two feet in so far. She leaned against the little wall of dirt that surrounded her and Scott and cast a stare at Stiles, full of puppy-dog eyes and pouts. He shook his head at her with a smile and jumped into the hole. She then took his place as she watched them dig.

"This is taking way too long." Scott wheezed out as he bent to scoop up more dirt.

"Just keep going." Stiles was determined to get to the body. He wanted to prove that Derek was the killer.

"What if he comes back?" Scott questioned rather loudly.

"Then we get the hell out of here!" Stiles' response was fast and at an equal tone.

"What if he catches us?" Gracie inquired as she tilted her head to the side to pick off some dried mud from her pant leg.

"I have a plan for that." Stiles shrugged. Grace rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah? What?" She flicked the piece of mud at Stiles, even though he didn't notice.

"We all run in different directions. Whoever he catches first, too bad." He shrugged casually as he responded. Even though it probably wasn't the best moment, Gracie let out a snorting laugh.

"You realize that would be you, right? Scott has werewolf speed. I'm in track. You see what I'm saying?" She made wild hand gestures that even she couldn't describe. Stiles rolled his eyes at her and muttered something under his breath, which caused Scott to laugh. She pouted, not liking feeling left out. Stiles went down for another scoop and hit something.

"Oh, stop, stop, stop, stop!" He said, putting his hand on Scott's chest to stop him from going any further. The blonde of the trio leaned forward to peek over the edge of the hole and peered down into the loose dirt, curious as to what would be there albeit dreading every moment of it.

Both of the boys got down onto their knees and started to wipe the dirt to the side, revealing a dark cloth that was tied with some kind of rope. Grace bit her lip as her brow furrowed, feeling herself start to tense up. That was supposedly a dead body. A dead freaking body. She had never seen a dead body in her entire life. She really didn't want to start now. Especially not a half of a dead freaking body.

Stiles started to untie the knots. Apparently he wasn't fast enough for Scott as the werewolf barked out a quick "Hurry!". Stiles sent his friend a pointed glare.

"I'm trying. Did he have to tie the thing in, like, 900 different knots?" Even at a moment like this, Stiles' sarcasm didn't escape him. Grace's eyebrows rose.

"All the better to keep us meddling kids at bay." She whispered behind them. They glanced back at her with blank expressions, to which she gave a bright grin to.

"I'll do it." Scott growled as he and Stiles double teamed the knots on the cloth. Grace, of course, didn't do anything but watch. Finally, they were able to remove the knots covering the main part of the cloth and went to wipe the dirt off and pull the cloth aside. Gracie leaned forward to see what would be there, and when they moved the cloth, a black wolfs head stared at them with its mouth open. All three of them screamed, and the boys jumped out of the hole and cowered next to Gracie on each side.

"What the hell is that?" Stiles screamed, pointing at the dead animal.

"Not a dead fucking body!" Gracie's hand was over her heart and she let out a sigh, letting her body drop back to the ground as she tried to regain her heartbeat.

"It's a wolf." Scott breathed out, staring at the creature.

"No shit!" The blonde growled. Stiles was irritated.

"I thought you said you could smell blood. As in human blood." Of course Stiles was irritated. He had just walked onto a possible killer's property and dug up what was supposed to be a dead body, only to find a dead wolf. How the hell was he going to explain that to his father, let alone Derek if he showed up again?

"I told you something was different." Scott sighed as he glanced at his male companion. Stiles' gaze was still on the wolf. He shook his head and made a confused hand gesture.

"This doesn't make sense…" He was trying so hard to think of what could have happened.

"We have to get out of here." Gracie piped up, not wanting to be around for when Derek came back. She had one frightening encounter with him that night, she didn't need another. That, and it was pretty late and she hadn't been home yet. Her parents will either be freaking out or super mad when she got back home. Hell, maybe even both.

"Help me cover this up." Stiles said as he started to sweep some dirt back into the animal grave. Gracie kicked some dirt in before she sat up to properly help. Scott followed Stiles' lead and started to push the dirt back in as well, until Stiles froze and stared at something.

"What?" Scott was curious. Stiles gestured in front of him.

"See that flower over there?" He was pointing to a pretty purple flower. Scott stared at it.

"What about it?" The newly appointed star of lacrosse sounded like a whiny, yet curious child.

"I think it's wolfsbane." Stiles perked up as he stared at it. Scott blinked.

"What's that?" He was confused. Grace rolled her eyes.

"Haven't you ever seen _The Wolf Man_?" She tilted her head as she stopped pushing dirt into the grave.

"No." Scott breathed out and shook his head.

"Lon Chaney Jr.?" Stiles tried to get a memory sparked in Scott, hoping his best friend who was now a werewolf was joking with him. "Claude Rains." Scott looked down and away, wishing Stiles would get on with it. "The original classic werewolf movie?" Stiles tried again, punctuating every word with a higher tone and a shake of his head.

"No! What?" Scott interrupted Stiles, wanting to know what wolfsbane was. Stiles looked at his best friend and shook his head with a sigh.

"You're so unprepared for this." Stiles whispered as he got up and walked over to the plant. He grabbed the plant and tried to pick it, only to realize that it wasn't rooted into the ground. It was tied to a rope. Stiles backed up and started to pull the rope up. It turned out that the wolfsbaned rope wrapped around the gravesite several times in a circle, spiraling further out with each pass. Gracie watched Stiles as he gathered all the rope up in his hands in a bundle. Scott glanced down into the grave and jumped up with a gasp.

"Stiles." He whispered softly. Stiles bounded over and looked down. He let out a yelp as he looked down into the grave. Gracie wasn't in view of the grave and moved over to peek over the edge. Her stomach did flip-flops as she saw the torso of a dead young woman staring up at her.

"Oh shit!" She gasped out as she stumbled to get up and dashed to the nearby bushes. She held her hand over her mouth as she dropped to her knees. She felt it coming before she could stop it, the bile rising in her throat. She didn't feel bad at all when she threw up into the bushes, wouldn't anyone after seeing half of a woman's body? Once it all came out, she leaned back onto her legs and let out a breath. She wiped her mouth and felt wetness on her cheeks, the tears that always accompanied her gag reflex. She heard footsteps behind her and suddenly a warm hand was on the top of her head. She groaned out and leaned into the warmth.

"Tacos are better the first time around." She whispered, her voice hoarse now. Stiles shook his head and pulled her up to her feet. She swayed slightly, but steadied herself with the help of Stiles. Scott came over and hugged her softly.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." He whispered, though he knew perfectly well that Gracie knew what could have happened. He pulled back for a moment and wrinkled his nose, reaching into his pocket and handing the blonde a piece of spearmint flavored gum. Gracie narrowed her green eyes at Scott and snatched the stick of gum from his hand, shoving it into her mouth and throwing the wrapper at his face.

"Jerk." She growled with a pout. Stiles laughed and gave her a side hug before pulling her along to his Jeep.

"Come on, Gracie. Let's get you home. We'll call the cops in the morning." Stiles cooed to her as he helped her into the back of his Jeep. She pouted at him, feeling like a baby.

"Kayyy." She drawled out, snuggling into the back of the front seats. Scott got in on the passenger side and Stiles got in on the driver's side. He started the Jeep up and took Gracie home. The ride was quiet except for when she said her goodbyes to her friends, still wearing Stiles' jacket. It was early in the morning, probably about three by now. They had been out there for hours. The light to the front room of her house was still on and she knew she was in for it. She started to rack her brain for excuses as she approached the door.

She found the door to be unlocked and walked in quietly. As soon as she shut the door and turned back around, her mother and father were both standing there looking worried and angry. Alex saw the shape her daughter was in and gasped, rushing towards her and wrapping her arms around her. Gracie was pale and covered in dirt and there were bags under her eyes. Erik relaxed, trusting his daughter enough to know that she wasn't doing anything inappropriate or illegal in his eyes.

"Where were you?" Her mother demanded as she pulled away from her little girl. Gracie rolled her eyes.

"I was running, mom. I went through the preserve like I usually do. But I heard an animal so I strayed off the trail and ended up getting lost." She muttered, feeling stupid at the stupid excuse. Her parents looked at her skeptically.

"Why didn't you call anyone?" Her father demanded. Gracie snorted, rolling her eyes.

"I would've dad, but my phone died." She pulled out the phone from her pocket to show that it was indeed off. Granted, it wasn't dead, but she had ended up turning it off during their digging.

"How did you get home?" Her mother pulled Gracie inside more, towards the living room.

"Stiles found me. I always text him before bed and when I didn't he got worried. He came looking for me with Scott and well… here I am." She laughed nervously, shrugging.

"Gracie—" Her dad started but the blonde teen sighed, rubbing her fingers to her temple.

"Dad, please. I know it was stupid and I know you want to lay into me. But I'm tired. I'm sore. I'm freaked out. I'm dirty. I just want to take a shower and go to bed." She whined out, eyeing her father. "Please?" She begged. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He moved to the side and made a gesture for her to go upstairs. She smiled at him and kissed his cheek as she walked by.

She took a quick shower before snuggling into bed with Yuki, clinging to the dog in hopes that Yuki would always be there to protect her so she didn't have to see dismembered girls ever again.

**[Page Break]**

The next morning, Gracie found herself with Scott waiting outside of Derek's house, both of them leaning against Stiles' Jeep. Though, neither of them knew where Stiles had run off to. The blonde was tense as she waited for the rather muscular murderer to be escorted out of his property. She didn't want to see him, but she didn't want to miss this either. She wanted to see it for herself that he was actually arrested to she could feel safe once again.

Suddenly, Scott perked up as an officer came out escorting Derek in front of him with his arms handcuffed behind his back. Gracie's hand shot to Scotts and she gripped it within her own tightly. He gave a reassuring squeeze back as they watched Derek, with Gracie inching more and more behind him with the second. She was practically behind Scott by the time the cop got to the squad car and ducked her head when Derek glanced over at them. She missed the smirk that he shot the two of them as he was forced into the vehicle. She groaned as she dropped her forehead into the crevice between Scott's shoulder-blades. Even though they just helped put a murderer away, she felt horrible. Totally horrible.

She glanced up when she felt Scott start to move and whisper no. When she looked ahead, she saw Stiles making his way to the squad car that held Derek. She let a pout escape her lips as Stiles ignored Scott and kept going. Taking matters into her own hands, Gracie pulled away from Scott and quickly made her way over to Stiles, avoiding the attention of any of the cops that were surveying the area for more bodies. By the time she got there, Stiles already opened the door and was getting in. Knowing she wouldn't be able to get him out, she snuck to the other side of the squad car and slid into the driver's seat, glaring at Stiles.

"Idiot!" She hissed at him. Stiles looked past her at the cops before glancing at Derek.

"Okay. Just so you know, I'm not afraid of you." He said directly to the other male. Derek, who had been looking down at the floorboard, raised his gaze to Stiles and gave him a dark look. Stiles froze. "Okay. Maybe I am." He shrugged like it was nothing and Gracie groaned, slapping her hand over her face. What the hell was he doing? And why did she follow him?

"Stiles, get out of the car now." She hissed at him with a glare. He waved her off before continuing.

"I just wanna know something." He glanced back at the cops outside before shifting in the seat. "The girl you killed… she was a werewolf." Stiles should really shut up. The look that Derek was giving him was even making Gracie shake, and she wasn't even on the receiving end of it. She reached over and touched his shoulder to get him to stop, but Stiles shrugged her off.

"She was a different kind, wasn't she?" He leaned forward, hoping to the answer. "I mean, she could turn herself into an actual wolf, and I know Scott can't do that." Stiles was trying to work this out. Derek took in a breath and glared even harder at Stiles during his talking. "Is that why you killed her?" He was curious. Derek let out the breath and spoke, his gaze never wavering once.

"Why are you so worried about me when it's your friend who's the problem?" Hale asked, gesturing his head towards Scott outside.

"Good point. Let's go Stiles." Gracie said, pulling on his sleeve. "Don't bother the werewolf murderer." She pulled harder. Derek glanced at the blonde sharply and she dropped her hand, her eyebrows furrowing as she scooted back from him. Yeah. She was glad that gaze wasn't on her before, because now she felt like she was going to pee her pants. Who knew a look could get someone so riled up? Derek turned his attention to Stiles once again.

"When he shifts on the field, what do you think they're gonna do, huh?" He brought up a valid point. "Just keep cheering him on?" Stiles was dumbfounded. "I can't stop him from playing, but you can." Derek said with a shrug as he glanced from Stiles to Grace. Gracie leaned forward for a moment, feeling a bit for of a 'so be it' vibe from him after the statement. Derek leaned forward as well, staring into Gracie's green eyes.

"And trust me…" He said softly, his eyes flickered down to the girls' mouth as she closed her mouth and swallowed. "You want to." His green-grey eyes connected with hers once again and she was almost breathless.

"You know…" Her voice was airy. "You're losing your mass murderer vibe rather quickly." She whispered before both of the front doors were open and she and Stiles were pulled out of the vehicle. Her gaze was still on Derek until she was stopped in front of the Sheriff.

"What the hell are you two doing?" He growled out. Gracie wiggled out of the grip of the officer and pointed at Stiles.

"It was his idea! I tried to stop him! I'm innocent! Scoooottt!" She cried out as she dashed to her other male friend and wrapped her arms around his left arm, hiding behind him and watching as the Sheriff reprimanded Stiles for being an idiot. He made a gesture for Stiles to leave and the boy quickly came over to them. He had a full-body spaz attack and hit Gracie on the shoulder.

"Why'd you abandon me? If the ship was sinking, you should've gone down with it too!" He cried out, pouting. Gracie looked at him with an expression that could be only explained as, 'bitch please'.

"I was not the captain of that starship, thank you." She pulled away from Scott and climbed into the back of the Jeep, removing herself from the situation. Stiles looked after her with an open-mouthed gaping expression before his eyes turned to Scott.

"Can you believe that? That's the thanks I get for being her bestest, coolest friend ever." He blinked. "No offense." Scott shook his head.

"None taken." He replied, rolling his eyes before going to the passenger side of the Jeep, ready to get out of there.


	6. The Game

**I generally will not be updating multiple times a week. However, I find that the reviews from this story, as well as the notifications of being added to someones alert list (whether it be story alert or author alert), helps increase my mood and relieve my stress. Hence why I'm adding another chapter. I love this story to pieces, especially Gracie. I only hope that you guys love her as much as I do!**

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><p>"I can't find anything about wolfsbane being used for burial." Scott let out a frustrated sigh as he tapped on his phone, searching the web for a possible reason as to why Derek would have buried that girl with wolfsbane around her. Gracie, who was leaning over Scotts' shoulder and reading everything, dropped her head so her forehead rested on Scott's shoulder, groaning.<p>

"Just keep looking…" Stiles was focused on the road. He was a better researcher than Scott, and if he wouldn't have to be focused on driving he probably would've already found the information. "Maybe it's a ritual or something, like maybe they bury you as a wolf?" He was tossing ideas out there. Gracie perked up and shook her head.

"Why would Derek give that wolf a ritual burial if he had killed her? Isn't that kind of like showing compassion?" She didn't think it added up. There had to have been some other reason.

"Or maybe it's like a special skill? Something you have to learn." Stiles tossed out some more jargon. He glanced at Scott, his eyes shifting to Gracie before heading back to the road.

"I'll put it on my to-do list, underneath on figuring out how the hell I'm going to play this game tonight." Scott sounded down, real down. Gracie thought back to what Derek said and shifted uncomfortably in the back of the Jeep.

"Do you think that's wise, Scott? What if you shift? You could hurt someone…" She didn't want to bring him down, or make him feel bad… She knew Scott had been waiting for this opportunity for a while now and she didn't want to take that away from him.

"I know, Gracie!" Scott growled out, turning his head to glare at his friend. "Don't you think I've thought about that?" He yelled, sighing out and dropping his head to the window with a 'thunk'. Gracie shrunk back, away from the now temperamental werewolf. She shifted to sit behind Stiles' seat and folded her knees up to her chest.

"Sorry." She whispered, voice abnormally quiet as her gaze dropped to the floorboard she sat on. Stiles shifted his gaze from Scott to Gracie in his rear-view mirror. He intervened to try and loosen up the mood.

"Maybe it's different for girl werewolves." He pondered aloud. Gracie wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her face into the crook of her elbow, knowing that was the wrong thing to say.

"Okay! Stop it!" Scott growled out to Stiles. However, this went over Stiles' head.

"Stop what?" He was so clueless.

"Stop saying 'werewolves'." Scott growled out. "Stop enjoying this so much." Scott looked like he was in pain, his brow furrowed and he was starting to sweat.

"Are you okay?" Stiles asked quietly, glancing at his best friend.

"No!" Scott cried out. "No, I'm not! I'm so far from being okay!" He was letting out huffed of breath now, his eyes clenched shut as he started to rock in his seat. Gracie watched him quietly, not moving from her position.

"You know, you're gonna have to accept this, Scott, sooner or later." Stiles shook his head at his friend. So what if he thought it was pretty cool that his friend was a werewolf… Couldn't he be a little excited?

"I can't." Scott wheezed out.

"Well you're going to have to!" Stiles was frustrated now.

"No! I can't breathe." Scott struggled to control himself as a growl-like grunt ripped through his body and his hand shot the ceiling of the Jeep. Stiles' head snapped over to him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." Stiles chanted as he swerved a bit before regaining control of the vehicle.

"Pull over!" Scott growled out.

"Why? What's happening?" Stiles ask as he continued to drive, keeping his eyes on the road though his body was tense now. Scott didn't answer him as he reached over and dug through Stiles' bag. He grabbed something and glared at Stiles.

"You kept it?" He yelled out. Gracie lifted her head and looked over the seat, seeing the rope of wolfsbane in Scott's hands.

"What was I supposed to do with it?" Stiles yelled back, confused. Scott let out a loud growl as he started to wolf out. Gracie, who hadn't seen it yet, allowed her green eyes to widen as Scotts eyes turned a yellow-gold as he glared at the driver.

"Stop the car!" His voice was laced with a growl. A deep, frightening growl. Gracie's body moved forward as Stiles slammed on the breaks. She yelped as her head connected with the window and she closed her eyes, cradling her head in her hands with a hiss. Stiles grabbed the bag and jumped out of the car, running several paces into the woods and throwing the bag as far as he could. He stepped back a bit and turned around with a relieved sigh.

"Okay… We're good, you…" He muttered out before freezing when he looked at the Jeep. Scott wasn't there. He stood open-mouthed for a minute. "Scott?" He inquired softly. Grace groaned as she tried to raise her head to look up. She didn't even know Scott had left.

"Shit! Gracie!" Stiles cursed, running to the driver's seat and pulling her over the back of the seats to the passenger spot. He pushed her hands away and winced when he saw a red mark on her forehead. That was going to bruise, definitely.

"I'm so sorry!" He whispered, pressing down on the mark to test it. She cried out and immediately slapped him in the chest.

"Don't do that!" She yelled at him, pulling back as he reached for her again.

"Gracie!" Stiles said sharply, causing her to sober and pout at him, rubbing her forehead. She glared. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know, bro. But, damn, man. That hurt." She groaned out as she fixed herself to face forward and closed the passenger door fully. She leant her head back to rest her neck on the back of the seat. "So that's Scott when he turns?" She asked quietly, her eyes directed to the ceiling of the Jeep.

"Yeah…" Stiles had an equally quiet tone. Then he cursed and turned forward, starting his car and driving off. Grace sat up straight and watched him as he moved to grab his phone and call dispatch on speaker. The woman who responded sounded tired, like she had had this conversation with him one too many times.

"Stiles. You know you can't call the dispatch line when I'm on duty." She sighed out. Gracie's eyebrow twitched as she stared at her best friend.

"I just need to know if you've gotten any odd calls." He sort of yelled it as he looked around for Scott in the woods they were driving through. Gracie turned her head and started to look around as well, hoping they could find him before his bloodlust found someone else.

"Odd how?" Dispatched asked, and Gracie could feel the eye roll behind the tone.

"Uh, like an odd person, or a dog-like individual roaming the streets." Stiles responded. That sounded bad, like a joke. And it didn't help that the way Stiles said it had caused Gracie to giggle a little.

"I'm hanging up on you now." The woman replied, not pleased with having to deal with the Sheriffs crazy son.

"No! Wait, wait, wait!" Stiles called out, leaning forward.

"Goodbye." Was all that they heard as the line went dead. Stiles let out a frustrated groan as he threw his phone into the floorboard of Gracie's seat. Gracie shot Stiles a glare.

"Watch it." She hissed out, not wanting to have another injury that day. Stiles chuckled nervously at her as they continued to drive through the preserve.

**[Page Break]**

They had spent the better part of the afternoon looking for Scott until they got a call from him. He was fine now. He wolfed out, but snapped out of it and didn't do anything he regretted. And now Stiles was driving Gracie to the lacrosse game so she could watch. As they pulled into the schools parking lot and got out, Grace walked over to him with a grin. She gave him a quick hug.

"Good luck tonight. Tell Scott I said to be careful." She pulled back. Stiles pouted at her, they both knew he would be on the bench. She said their goodbyes as she followed the crowd around to the stands, and Stiles went off to the boys locker room.

Once to the stands, her eyes scanned around for an open seat. She found one and squeezed her way through. She sat down as she waited for both teams to get ready. After a moment, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Allison. She hadn't actually talked to the girl yet, but she knew it was bound to come since she spent a lot of her time with Scott and Stiles.

"You're Grace Dent, right?" Allison asked with a smile. The blonde nodded. Allison held out her hand.

"I'm Allison." Gracie shook her hand with a small smile.

"I know. Scott talks about you all the time." Grace rolled her eyes with a grin. The dark haired girl smiled slightly, causing the older man next to her to look between the two girls. Probably her father.

"Really?" She asked softly. Grace nodded. "I see you with him and Stiles a lot. I figured if Scott and I get closer… I would have to be introduced to you sometime!" She said cheerfully, smiling at the older girl. Grace laughed.

"Right?" She leaned forward. "I should tell you now so this doesn't interfere in the future. Scott… he's like my brother. Okay? So like… no competition, there." She grinned as she pulled back. Allison was grinning too, a small blush on her face.

"I didn't think there was." It took Allison a moment to realize how that sounded. "I didn't mean it like that! I just… you're dating Stiles, aren't you?" She asked, tilting her head to the side slightly. Gracie couldn't help but let out a loud laugh. It was so hard that she had to hold her stomach as it started to tighten up on her. She calmed down for a moment and wiped her eyes playfully.

"You're funny, you know that? Stiles is my BFF. He's the Robin to my Batman. The Watson to my Sherlock. He and I… We are the Wonder Twins. You get me?" Gracie questioned, raising an eyebrow. Allison laughed and nodded.

"Loud and clear." She gave a mock salute and Gracie instantly liked the girl. "This is my father. Dad, this is Grace. She's a friend of Scotts." The man's blue eyes turned to her and she smiled. So, this was the hunter that was after Scott. Grace wondered for a moment if Allison's father knew that Scott was a werewolf, but decided to ignore it.

"Hello, Mr. Argent." She leaned forward with a grin. "I heard about the little collision course Scott created with your vehicle today. You must forgive him; he's rather… absent-minded at times." She laughed nervously as she rubbed the back of her head to get the right words. As they spoke, the other teams had come out and took the field. Allison's father smiled and nodded with a soft laugh. Grace meant to keep an eye on him to make sure he made no move to go after Scott, just in case, but she was distracted when Sheriff Stilinski came over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, kissing her temple.

"Hey, Gracie." He said as he sat down next to her. Grace sent Allison and her father a small smile before she sat down next to the Sheriff. "I haven't seen you around much lately." He pointed out casually. The blonde laughed. If she wasn't at school or home, she was generally at Stiles' or her brothers. She had become a second child to the Sheriff, that was for sure.

"I know. Don't worry. One of these days I'll just come over with a huge bag of stuff and live with you for a month." She grinned. "You'd get so sick of me, you would ship me home after the first week." She teased. The Sheriff shook his head with a smile.

"We'll see." He replied. She had stayed over for an extended period of time before, even during the school year. That was the cool thing about Gracie's parents. They trusted her. For the most part.

The two grew silent as the game started and she watched with anticipation. She hoped Derek was wrong. She didn't want Scott to turn. She didn't want everyone to know. She didn't want her friend to be taken away from her. Her eyes were glued to Scott as she noticed no one was passing him the ball and that he was getting frustrated. She tensed up as she watched him and Jackson run for the ball that was lying on the grass. Then she stood up as Jackson tackled him to the ground.

"What the hell was that?" She yelled, throwing her hands in the air. If she knew she wouldn't get Beacon Hills a penalty for it, she would've run out onto the field and smacked Jackson right there. That was so rude. Tackling him just so he could get the ball first. However, everyone in the stands let out a cheer as Jackson picked up the ball and scored a goal. The Sheriff sighed beside her and shook his head, tugging the seventeen year old back to his side. She sat down with a pout.

"That was so uncalled for." She muttered. Her pseudo-father-figure nodded his head in agreement as he watched quietly. Grace was quiet as she watched the game go on; no one was passing to Scott, even if he was open. And whenever Lydia and Allison cheered for Jackson from behind her, she could see Scott become visibly angry. It reached a point when Scott was doubled over and staring at the ground that she knew he was beginning to lose it. She scooted forward on the bench and stared at him hard. This wasn't going to be good.

When the next ball was up, Gracie felt the change just as much as she saw it. The ball was in the air and Scott just _went_ for it. He jumped up, using an opposing player's face as leverage and got the ball. Then he took off towards the goal, weaving in and out of each opponent in front of him quickly. He threw the ball when he was in enough range and scored a goal.

"Yes!" Gracie screamed and jumped up, pumping her fist into the air as she cheered on her best friend. She could hear Allison doing the same behind her and she turned around to grin at her.

The next round started and the ball was caught by the opposing team. Scott was in front of the guy who caught it and they froze for a moment before the opposing team member tossed the ball straight to Scott, causing her friend to take off down the field. He made another goal, and the crowd cheered like crazy once again. The next round began and it went smoothly, the ball went to Scott and he went down the field. Then he was surrounded by the other team. One of each side with the goalie in front of him. Grace perked up again as fear flooded her veins. She watched as Scott looked from left to right quickly. She knew, she just knew he was feeling his blood lust rising. And it scared the crap out of her.

"Come on, Scott." She whispered to herself. "Just make the goal. Nothing else. Make the goal." She enunciated her last sentence lowly and softly to herself, her hands gripping the bottom of her light pink t-shirt that had an up close of Pinkie Pie's face from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. She tensed when the guys on either side of Scott ran at him and bit her lip. She watched as he drew back and threw the ball at the goal post. He made the goal. Gracie let out another happy scream and jumped into the air, much like everyone else around her. She didn't hesitate to rush down to Stiles and throw her arms around him from behind.

"You wooooon!" She cried out happily. He turned around and hugged her back, excitedly bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Did you see Scott? He was awesome!" Stiles was soaring right now, elated that his friend made the winning shot. Grace pulled back from the hug and grinned at him.

"Bro! I saw! I was worried for a minute!" She started to make wild hand gestures. "At first I was like, 'Yes! Scott got the ball~! We're gonna win this!'" She pumped her fist in the air. "Then I was like, 'Oh shit. He's going to freak out. Shit! Shit!'" She brought her hand to cover her face. "And then I was like, 'YES! FUCK YEA!'" She pumped her fist into the air again and Stiles laughed at her. He sat down on the bench in exhaustion. Sure, he didn't play, but he had worn himself out cheering for Scott and worrying about what could've happened. Same with Gracie.

She slid down to his level behind him and leaned her back against his with a groan. "I'm too tired to go home and walk up the stairs. You have to carry me up to my room or I'm crashing on your couch tonight." Tomorrow was Sunday, her mom wouldn't mind. Stiles laughed and the movement of his back vibrated through Grace's body. She groaned in response and dropped her head back to his shoulder, forcing him to fully support her dead weight. He grunted, but managed to stay upright. Gracie was surprisingly heavy for a slim girl. Both of them glanced over to the Sheriff when he was talking on the phone. It sounded pretty serious.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Stiles called, only to have his dad put up a finger to tell him to be quiet and hold on. The two waited for a couple of minutes for Stiles' dad to finish his conversation. But the moment the Sheriff was done with the call, Stiles was up and asking questions. His sudden movement caused Grace to fall back and connect with the bench. She groaned out and rolled over, face-first into the grass.

"Horrible person." She groaned out to Stiles, who just ignored her.

"What's wrong, dad?" Stiles asked, wanting to know what the call was about. The Sheriff rolled his eyes at his son and helped pull Gracie into a standing position. She swayed and tossed her hair out of her face and fixed her shirt.

"I'm good." She assured him. Once he turned to face Stiles, Gracie flipped the other boy off and stuck her tongue out at him. He responded with an eye roll and a pointed gaze to his father.

"That was Officer Jensen. The autopsy report came back on the girl. It was an animal that killed her, not a human. The body was ID'd as Laura Hale, his sister. We are releasing Derek Hale. I'm sorry, kids." The Sheriff said with a small shrug. He patted Stiles' shoulder as he walked by. Stiles stared at Gracie with open-mouth shock and Gracie had relatively the same expression on her face.

"We have to tell Scott." Stiles turned away, ready to run to the locker room and tell his friend. Gracie stopped him.

"You go ahead. I'm going to head home. I'm tired." She wasn't going to go home-home, but to her brothers. She was tired and didn't exactly feel like waiting around for Stiles and Scott to get their bromance-panic attack going on, besides Tyler lived closer to the school than her home or Stiles'. Stiles stared at her.

"Gracie. I drove you here. I'm not letting you walk home with Derek Hale on the loose." He growled out, glaring at her. She rolled her green eyes.

"I'm going to Tyler's. He's close by. Besides, Hale wouldn't make a move with this many people around. People will be leaving the school for a while. There will be citizens around. He wouldn't attack me in public." She brushed him off casually as she started to walk away.

"Call me when you get to Ty's! If I don't hear from you in two hours, I'm calling my dad to look for you!" Stiles yelled to her. She laughed and waved to him as she walked away, shaking her head.


	7. The Brotha

**Yay! An updattteee. This chapter is my third favorite that I've written so far, mainly because I love Gracie's brother. However, chapter nine and ten are, hands down, my current favorites. I think you guys will approve of them when they come out! ;D**

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><p>Gracie puffed up her cheeks as she cut through the wooded area by the school to head towards her brothers'. She blew air out of her mouth loudly, making a raspberry, before reaching in her pocket and grabbing her phone. She texted her parents and told them that she was going to stay at Tyler's that night, getting an 'okay' back. Putting the phone back into the rear pocket of her jeans, she kicked a rock away from her as she casually jumped from a two foot high drop and onto the leaves below. She grunted as she lost her balance and used her left hand to steady her. She glanced around quickly, making sure absolutely no one saw that, not even the murderous Derek Hale. Seeing nothing, she laughed to herself.<p>

"Ohh. I'm so retarded." She muttered to herself, pouting. She fixed her My Little Pony shirt before wrapping her rather thin black jacket around herself tighter, stuffing her hands into the pockets as she continued walking. Her brother's house was just on the other side of this woodland area, so she wasn't too worried about anything getting her. Yeah, she should be worried. But everyone knew Gracie acted before she thought, which isn't always a good thing. Just as she jumped over the small foot-wide steam in the woods, she heard something. She froze and turned around, eyes wide.

"Yeah. I'm retarded." She confirmed, squinting into the dark to try and see what made the noise. This was a bad idea. Oh yeah, it was. Derek had just been released from jail. She helped put him in jail. There has to be a desire for revenge there. She turned to the left sharply at another noise, eyeing the area. She took a step back. There was silence for a while, but she didn't move. She clenched her fists and acted before she thought, again.

"Come on out, elf boy. I know you're out there!" She called out around her. Her eyes flickered around as she waited for a minute. Three minutes passed before she rolled her eyes with a sigh and turned around to continue to her brothers.

"Jesus!" She cried out, jumping back and clinging to a tree behind her. Up on the little hill she had to climb stood just who she was thinking about. Gracie held her hand over her heart for a minute as she looked up at the dark-haired man. Her eyes were wide and fear was radiating off of her, but that wouldn't stop her. She took a step forward.

"Come at me, bro!" She called. "If you're here to take me out, just do it!" She clenched her fists. If he was going to kill her, just do it already. His gaze was steely, unwavering. Derek smirked slightly as he started to approach the blonde. She let out a small 'oh shit' before back up into the tree again.

"Okay! Okay, bro!" She held her hands in front of her. "Obviously I didn't mean it! Don't go all Sylar on me and eat my brain." She tried to get him to stop coming at her, mentally retracting her previous statement. He stopped his approach when he was a couple of feet in front of her, her back up against the tree and a frown on her face.

"You got lucky tonight." His voice was strong, and she could feel a sense of anger in them. His eyes pinned her in place, and she couldn't move. She licked her lips as she felt her throat go dry and swallowed.

"Y-Yeah. I know..." She muttered, her eyebrows twitching into a furrow as she watched him. "I t-tried to get him to stop- to not play tonight." She stammered out. He scowled.

"Not hard enough." Was the response she received. Gracie glared at him.

"What does it matter to you? If he shifted, they would have panicked over him. Killed him." She argued. "Not you." Hale let out a short laugh as he shook his head.

"You don't get it, do you?" It was rhetorical. She knew that. She didn't bother it with a response, only stared at him. "Hunters will come for Scott. Go after his family, his friends. It will start a panic over our kind. We will be hunted to be exterminated at an even faster rate than now."

"So you just don't want to die?" Gracie asked, clenching her fists as she thought of Derek as selfish. He shook his head and let out a frustrated sigh.

"I don't want my people to die." He growled out, glaring at her. She pulled back in surprise. Her eyes drifted to the ground, breaking eye contact for the first time. She took in a breath.

"Did you kill that girl? Your sister?" She asked softly. She wanted to know. She needed to know. When she raised her head, Derek's sharp gaze was on her, his brow furrowed. They were silent for the longest time, Gracie waited for a response and Derek wasn't saying anything. She rolled her eyes and shoved her hands in her jacket pocket.

"Whatever. Just leave me alone." She mumbled as she quickly walked around Derek and began to climb up the hill covered with leaves, trees, sticks, and rocks. She was halfway up the hill when she slipped and grunted as she caught herself, hands in the mud. She cussed as she stood up and wiped her hands on her jeans. She glanced down at the ground as she climbed up the rather steep hill. She slid down a bit and grunted once again, getting frustrated. That was the only thing she hated about going to her brothers this route, she had to climb this stupid ass hill. She tripped once again and slammed her hand on the ground, splashing mud on her face. She groaned, giving up. She sat back on her knees and closed her green eyes. When she opened them, there was a large hand in her view. Her eyes followed the hand up the black leather sleeve and to the handsome, yet serious face that stared down at her. She hesitated before she grasped his hand and he hoisted her up to the top of the hill. She let out an 'mm' in thanks as she dusted her hands off on her pants once again and continued walking.

"I didn't kill her." Rang throughout her ears. She paused mid-step before turning around and staring at Derek Hale. They remained in eye contact for a moment before she gave a side-ways smile.

"Thanks." She was grateful he told her what she could believe to be the truth, as well as helping her up that ridiculous hill. She shifted her weight to her right leg. Derek nodded to her silently before turning and jumping off of the hill. She stood there for a moment, staring at where he stood.

Grace was pleased that Derek told her, even though deep down she knew he could be lying. But she didn't want to believe it to be a lie. She wanted it to be the truth. Sure, Derek was abrasive and protective and not very friendly, but he was a werewolf. And he had hunters after him. She didn't think anyone would be too social or friendly if they had people trying to kill them just for being what they are. She couldn't imagine anyone trying to kill her just because she was a geek. Granted, she never ripped anyone's throat out like Derek might have... but Derek seemed a little... domestic. Having heard straight from the horse's mouth that he didn't kill the girl, Gracie felt a new desire to help keep Scott in check, to prevent any future hunter attacks. The blonde would feel horrible if her friend was the cause for such a fine piece of meat such as Derek Hale to be killed.

Gracie blinked, unbelieving that she just thought that. Then nodded her head slightly. Of course she just thought that. Derek was attractive; muscular, firm, handsome, dominant... What girl wouldn't be interested in a guy like that?

"Blaahhhh." She droned before turning away and finishing her trek through the woodland area. Her brother's house was in view and she reached into her pocket, pulling out her keys. She walked up the porch steps quietly and shoved the key in the door, unlocking it and walking inside. The sound of screeching and gunshots filled her ears and she closed the door with an eye roll, pulling her phone out of her pocket to shoot Stiles a quick text informing him of her safe arrival. Left 4 Dead, of course, was the game that rang in the background. She locked the door and walked around the corner to look into the living room area, seeing her light brown haired brother sitting on his couch, leaning forward and staring at the screen as he button mashed his Xbox controller. She walked up behind him and watched quietly, shoving her phone back into her pocket. Suddenly, a Tank popped up out of nowhere and Tyler cried out, throwing a Molotov at it. He emptied his shotgun into it while Bill and Louis emptied their mags. The Tank roared and charged at Tyler, smacking him back. Just as he was about to get up, a Hunter jumped down with a screech and started to claw at him. And just like that, he was dead.

"Nooo!" Tyler cried out, dropping his head in shame.

"Suck, bro." She said loudly with a laugh. Tyler jumped, threw the controller to the floor and turned around with a yell. She arched an eyebrow in response, her face impassive. He glared at her.

"Why are you here? Go home!" He pouted, sitting back down and leaning his head back onto the back of the couch. She leaned over him, grinning.

"Can't. Already told mom and dad I was staying here for the night." She jumped over the side of the couch and settled down beside him, picking up his fallen controller and taking over his game. "'Sides. It's late and I don't have my car. You wouldn't want me to walk home all alone at night, would you?" She batted her lashes at him playfully with a puppy-dog eyed look. He scoffed and folded his arms behind his head.

"All the better for you to be out of my hair, little sister." He cooed before he stood up and stretched. "Get off my game." He ordered, holding his hand out for the controller. She shot him a glance.

"Get off my back." She shot back, ignoring him as she ran through the street, shooting at the infected near her. She wasn't fazed as a Hunter pinned her to the ground, as Francis quickly got the beast off of her and once Zoey was back on her feet, shot a round into the Hunters face. "I'm better at this than you." She affirmed with a grin. Tyler rolled his eyes.

"Because I actually have a life." He gestured to the medical text books littered across his coffee table. Gracie felt her heart sink. She knew he didn't mean it to offend her, but she was still touchy about it.

"Yeah, well. We can't all be geniuses, now can we?" She spat bitterly as she threw a Molotov at a nearby Witch, getting an achievement. She backed up and emptied her shotgun into the Witch, losing Louis before the infected actually fell. Tyler sighed, running a hand over his face.

"I didn't mean it like that, Grace." He groaned out, pinching the bridge of his nose. She held down the center button of the controller and went to the Dashboard. She sat the controller down and stood up, going to her brothers' game collection.

"I know." She shrugged the comment off, semi-used to it by now. Grace Dent wasn't the smartest person in the world, as stated before. She knew it, her family knew it, her friends knew it, and her teachers definitely knew it. Sure, she maintained a B average. But the only reason she had that was because she was in easy classes. No honors, no AP. Nothing like that. The teen girl grabbed a familiar game case and switched the games out. She grabbed a nearby black controller and plopped down on the couch, turning it on. She tossed the white controller she was originally using to her brother. Once her controller was on, she went to log onto her gamertag, but sighed when she remembered that she had already used it at her house and would have to recover it over here.

"What are you doing?" Tyler asked, watching as she typed in her email address and password. A moment later her gamertag 'Ripleyxx' popped up and her gamertag began to download. She glanced at her brother with a grin.

"_We_ are playing Halo 3, my dear brother." She smiled as she snuggled into her brothers' plush black couch, signing in once her GT was downloaded. She quickly started the game and they went online into two on two matches.

The next three and a half hours consisted of Gracie sniping and stickying her opponents while Tyler used a Needler and a shotgun. They were a good team; Gracie dominating from a distance being equipped with two sniper rifles (one Arbitor and the other human) and Tyler being a tank and just running into the fight guns blazing. Finally, Grace groaned out and tossed her controller onto one of Tyler's textbooks on the table in front of her. She stretched out on his couch and leaned back against his shoulder, stretching. He groaned as his body was shoved to the side with the force of her stretch.

"Graccciiiiieeeee." He whined out, his controller falling out of his hands. They were both tired and their eyes burned from staring at the television for so long.

"Tyyyylllleerrrr." Grace mocked her older brother, snuggling her back into his warm side and dropping her head onto his shoulder. "Is it dinner time, yet?" She rubbed her stomach over her pink shirt, glancing up at her kin. He rolled his blue eyes in response and stood up, causing his little sister to fall back onto the couch with a yelp.

"Chow-Ming's is open until three AM. Want some Chinese?" He asked as he grabbed his cell phone from the entertainment center across the room.

"Orange chicken, white rice, Lo Mein, and lots of cooked broccoli, please." Grace waved her hand in the air as she listed off her favorites. Tyler snorted.

"How are you not obese?" He questioned as he shook his head as he punched in 5 on his speed dial.

"I run, brah. A lot." She said simply as she rolled over and snuggled into the back of his couch. She heard his laugh in response, but drowned out his conversation with the rather friendly and talkative owner of their favorite Chinese restaurant. She must have dozed off because the next thing she knew, a pair of chopsticks still in their wrapper connected with her face, earning a loud groan of dismay.

"Whhhyyyyy?" She droned with a fake cry as she sat up. Turning around, she was greeted by the wonderful sight of food. She moaned like a zombie before taking her chopsticks out of their package and digging in. Tyler laughed at his sister and did the same, minus the sound effects. They ate in relative silence and cleaned up afterward.

"I bought you new sheets, by the way." Tyler called as she started to make her way up to the guest room that was deemed her room officially. She stopped in the middle of the hallway and glanced back at him.

"Whhhat?" She whined, not wanting her ninja monkey sheets to be gone. Her brother smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"They're Power Rangers." He sung out. Gracie responded with a high-pitched shriek before running down the hall and thrusting her door open. A Mighty Morphin Power Rangers bed set stared her in the face. She let out another squeal before diving onto the bed, burying her face in the sheets.

"You're the most awesome brother in the entire world because you feed my inner geek!" She called into the hallway. Only to hear a laugh and the sound of his bedroom door closing, heading to bed himself. Gracie slid under the covers and grinned herself into a decent night's sleep.

**[Page Break]**

"You killed her dead?" Gracie asked the following Monday after the game as she waltzed into the school around eight AM with her buddies Stiles and Scott. Scott didn't hesitate to send her a sharp glare.

"I don't know." He muttered, shrugging. "I woke up right after. I was sweating like crazy and I couldn't breathe. I've never had a dream where I've woken up like that before." Scott glanced from Gracie to Stiles as they walked down the hallway.

"Really? I have." Exclaimed Stiles, shrugging a shoulder casually. "It usually ends a little differently." He made a hand gesture as he blurted that out. Gracie smirked.

"Followed directly by a cold shower and washing your sheets, Stiles?" She laughed when her taller friend gave her a suspicious look.

"Seems like you have the system down pat, Blondie. How many wet dreams do you have a week?" Stiles teased, tossing his arm around her shoulder as they guided her through the hallways. She smirked, glancing up at him playfully.

"You'd be surprised. It seems they have been coming at an alarmingly more common rate lately. I wonder what could be the cause of that, hm my dear Stiles?" She cooed, blowing him a kiss. He couldn't control it any longer and burst into laughter, his head dropping. The two laughed until they couldn't really breathe and then forced themselves to calm down.

"You two are horrible." Scott shook his head with a large grin on his face. "And I meant that I never had a dream that felt so real. And please, never give me that much detail about you guys in bed again." He shivered slightly at the thought and images filling his head. Stiles nodded his head.

"Noted." He chimed, while Gracie gave him a mock salute and a firm 'yes, captain'. "Let me take a guess here." Stiles moved back to the subject of Scotts dream. But the other male interrupted him.

"I know. You think it has something to do with the fact that I'm supposed to hang out with Allison tomorrow." Scott rolled his eyes softly, gripping his backpack as he walked down the hallway. Stiles shrugged.

"No." He said like it was the stupidest conclusion ever. "Of course not." The two men shared a glance and Gracie grinned.

"Yeah. That's totally it." She smirked as she shook her head at them. Boys were adorable, especially when one was a werewolf in love with the daughter of a werewolf hunter. Too damn cute.

"It's gonna be fine, alright?" Stiles tried to keep Scott optimistic about the date he had coming up with Allison. "I mean. You're handling this pretty freakin' amazingly. It's not like there's a Lycanthropy for beginners' class you could take. " Stiles admitted.

"Not a class. But maybe a teacher?" Gracie chimed. The two guys glanced back at her. "Why not ask Derek to help you get control over your wolf side?" She raised a brow at them.

"Derek?" Stiles yelled, reaching out and smacking Gracie upside the head with no qualms. She pouted at the impact, looking like a kicked puppy. "Are you forgetting the part where we got him tossed in jail?" He questioned in full-scale disbelief.

"She has a point, Stiles. Chasing Allison… dragging her to the back of the bus. It felt so real." Scotts gaze was on the ground.

"How real?" Stiles grumbled, clearly not pleased with the idea of going to Derek for help.

"Like it actually happened." Scott sighed, running a hand through his hair as they walked out of the school and into the back parking lot. The trio stood and gaped at the sight before them, a bus with the back door hanging off and blood all over. Gracie's hand shot to her mouth and she swayed, turning away from the scene quickly. Stiles' arm went around her shoulders in the front in a comforting hug, his gaze shifting to Scott.

"I think it did." Stiles' voice was soft and full of shock as he looked at his friend in hesitancy. Gracie whimpered softly, not wanting to be around the area any longer and Stiles pulled her back inside the school. Scott followed and quickly began to panic. He texted Allison multiple times in hopes to get a response, scared that he really had hurt her. Stiles rubbed Gracie's bicep softly to help her calm down. The girl was faint at the sight of blood, but could you blame her?

"She's probably fine." Stiles called to Scott as he walked with Gracie down the hallway.

"She's not answering my texts, Stiles." Scott whined, glancing around in a panic. Stiles sighed in defeat.

"It could just be a coincidence, alright? A seriously amazing coincidence." He attempted to calm his friend down, but it wasn't helping. Not at all.

"Can you guys just help me find her?" The lacrosse star practically begged. Gracie nodded mutely, her stomach still tossing and turning as she glanced around. Scott began to look around wildly and quickened his pace. He turned the corner quickly and was out of sight for Stiles and Gracie. By the time they got around the corner, they saw Scott talking with Allison. A small smile graced the blondes face and she pulled away from the help of Stiles.

"Bro, I'm going to the nurse. I need to calm the hell down." She groaned out, rubbing a hand over her unnaturally pale face.

"You do look like shit right now." Stiles grinned at the glare Gracie shot him.

"I'll see you at lunch, spaz." She shook her head with affection before walking past him and heading to the nurses' office.

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><p><strong>Okay. So who else loves Tyler? xD I love Gracie's family. You guys will be introduced to an future reoccurring character (and Gracie's AWESOME cousin) in chapter eleven. Her family is badass. Not gonna lie. 3<strong>


	8. Le Bus

**Chapter eight! Bahaha. We're so close to nine/ten. They're my favorite thus far. 3 ANYWAY. Yeah. Enjoy?**

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><p>"Miss Dent! What a surprise. I haven't seen you in this office since your freshman year when you tried to do the hurdles for track." Mrs. Cranston chimed with a grin plastered on her face as the blonde shuffled her way into the room. She had an excellent memory, that woman. But then again, who could forget Gracie… especially with the reason she had to go to the nurse. The green-eyed teen pouted, plopping into the chair on the opposite side of the desk with a groan.<p>

"Why would you bring that up? That's just mean. Everyone had forgotten about that." She ran a hand through her blonde hair as she thought back, shuddering at the embarrassment she had underwent that day. The burgundy haired woman across from her chuckled, leaning forward and looking at Gracie with a calculating gaze, eyeing her pale face, tired eyes, and hand against her stomach.

"Miss Dent, what seems to be the problem?" She folded her hands under her chin as she peered at the teen. Gracie shuddered, thinking back to the bus.

"I-I saw the bus." She lifted her gaze to the nurses'. "There was blood everywhere, and hand prints in the blood and the door was ripped off and oh my god, the blood." Gracie groaned, placing her hand over her mouth to try and calm the feeling of wanting to get sick. She closed her eyes and dropped her head to the cool surface of the nurses' desk and took in a deep breath in hopes to calm herself down. She heard the sound of a chair scraping on the floor and then a hand was on her back, rubbing soothingly in circles.

"Why don't you go lie down in one of the resting rooms? I'll check on you in an hour and see if you're feeling better. Get some water from the cooler and try and relax." Mrs. Cranston smiled down at the distraught girl. She let out a silent nod before standing and making her way to do just as the nurse advised.

**[Page Break]**

Gracie slammed her lunch tray on the table, catching the attention of the two boys talking in hushed whispers. She sat down next to Stiles with a grumble and glared at her food. Her hair was slightly messed up in the ponytail it was pulled back in. Her purple and black plaid over shirt was ruffled in the back and her pale blue Narwhal shirt was wrinkled in the front, bunching up just above her dark blue jeans.

"Gracie?" Scott questioned softly to his obviously disgruntled friend. Her green eyes snapped up to him and he pulled his head back at her intense scowl.

"What?" She growled, picking up her fork and shoving it into the pile of pasta on her plate. Scott and Stiles shared a glance, neither sure of the reasons of her behavior, but both worried.

"You okay, Grace?" Stiles leaned over, knocking his shoulder against hers gently. She let out a sigh, rubbing her free hand against her eyes.

"Yeah. I just woke up in the nurses' office and I lost my contacts." She lifted her head and stared at Stiles. "I can't see anything." She pouted, stabbing the food again in anger. The two males nodded their heads in full understanding. A Gracie that had little to no sleep was a Gracie that no one liked. She let out a bitter laugh.

"And apparently I have hemaphobia! Cranston called my parents and they want to take me to the doctor to get anxiety meds so I don't panic like I did earlier over the sight or thought of blood." She rolled her eyes at her comment. "Ridiculous, really." She scoffed, eating a bite of the mac and cheese on her plate. Stiles patted her back in understanding.

"Well. Scott here is thinking about taking your advice and going to see Derek. I don't like it one bit, though." Stiles muttered, and the blonde rolled her eyes.

"I have to cancel with Allison." Scott affirmed, shaking his head. Stiles rolled his eyes in frustration.

"No. You're not cancelling. You can't just cancel your entire life because of this. We'll figure it out." He muttered, glancing up when Lydia Martin sat her tray down at their table. Grace gaped at the girl in suspicion.

"Figure what out?" She asked sweetly, sitting down beside Scott. Grace blinked, her mouth open wide. Why was she sitting here? She swallowed and raised her brows, ignoring the red head as she continued to eat.

"Just, uh, homework." Scott shrugged, to which Stiles agreed. The older blonde teen rolled her eyes at her friends and tried not to gape again as Allison, Danny, another member of the lacrosse team, and another girl came and sat down at the table too. Allison and Grace shared a smile and a wave before Gracie leaned in front of Stiles with a grin.

"Heyyyy, Danny." She cooed, causing the beefy goalie to give a small smile.

"Gracie." He cast Stiles a weary glance. Poor Stiles, no one liked him much. Except Gracie. Gracie loved Stiles. They were BFF's. Gracie was sent into a state of shock when Jackson Whittemore walked over and told the other lacrosse guy to move. He then took his spot at the head of the table, like some ridiculous king or something. She scowled, leaning back in her chair and pushing her food away from her. She wasn't hungry anymore. She didn't feel comfortable with so many people around her at that moment.

The conversation then went to the attack on the bus and the guy that was found injured due to it. They all believed it was a mountain lion/cougar. Gracie bit back a laugh as she leaned over and placed her head on Stiles' shoulder. She closed her eyes and wished she could just fall asleep. Stiles showed them a news video that revealed the identity of the victim to be Garrison Meyers, a bus driver. Scott said he knew him from back when he lived with his dad and Gracie perked up, staring at Scott. She stared at her plate for a while and blanked out while everyone else continued the conversation around her.

Gracie loved Scott, she really did. He was like a little brother to her. She knew him and she trusted him. But unlike Stiles, she hated to say that she didn't have full faith in his newly discovered wolf side. She didn't know if he attacked the bus driver last night or not. But she was nervous, very nervous. If it was him, how could she know that he wouldn't do that to her? How could she feel safe anymore? Would he turn on her? On _them?_ She tried to quell the storm brewing in her mind. The bell rang and Gracie shook her head, coming out of her trance. She threw her stuff away and followed behind Scott and Stiles as they left the room. She listened in on their conversation for a moment before talking.

"Wait. You told Jackson that you were a great bowler? Bro! Why would you do that to yourself?" She laughed out, not hiding her amusement. Scott glanced back at her with a small pout.

"You weren't even listening in there, were you?" Stiles tossed his arm over her shoulder, guiding her towards her next class. She shrugged, confirming his question.

"Yes. Scott said that. He's going to make a fool of himself." He laughed, which caused Gracie to laugh, which caused Scott to groan and hang his head.

"And hanging out? You don't hang out with hot girls. It's like death." Stiles shivered. Gracie elbowed him in the ribs sharply.

"You guys hang out with me." She pouted, shuffling her feet. She was hot, wasn't she? Blonde, lean… Yeah, she was a bit of a geek. Okay, so she was a total and utter geek. But still! Stiles rolled his eyes.

"But you're our hot girl, Gracie. I knew you back when you had huge glasses and braces. And after that experience during summer back when you were eleven—" Stiles was shut up immediately by the glare that the green-eyed doe sent him, one that promised a slow and rather painful death if he continued to talk. He closed his mouth and turned towards Scott.

"Anyway. You hang out with a hot girl and you might as well become her gay best friend. You and Danny should start hanging out." Stiles shrugged.

"I don't think Danny likes me very much." Stiles muttered softly as Scott stood beside them ranting about last night and possibly killing a guy. Gracie tried to tune in to both conversations at once, but it only resulted in her groaning and just focused on Stiles' yammering instead of Scotts self-hate slash frustration.

"Am I not attractive to gay guys?" Stiles pondered aloud and glanced over at Scott for the answer.

"Now I'm going to be late for work!" Scott grumbled and took off down the hall. Stiles stopped and gaped, lifting his arms as he felt abandoned.

"Wait—Scott! You didn't answer my question." Stiles then yelled down the hallway, "Am I attractive to gay—" He sighed and lowered his shoulders in defeat. "You didn't answer my question." He muttered, pouting. He looked down at Gracie for help. She blinked.

"Well, Stiles. We could always ask my brother?" She shrugged, hoping it helped a bit. Stiles bit his lip for a moment before grasping her wrist and dragging her along.

"We're going to ask your brother." He was full of determination. Gracie couldn't stop the laughter that befell her lips.

"Bro! We could just call him! I mean, is this really that serious to you?" She smirked as she walked beside him at a pace that matched his own. Stiles glanced down at her.

"Of course it is!" Stiles spazzed dramatically. "I'm sexy, right? I'm hot. Girls should like me… gay guys should like me. Right?" He glanced down at her again. "Right?" He practically begged.

"Totally Stiles. Sexiest man I've ever seen." Her voice was serious, but they both knew she was joking. "I mean, come on, bro. That buzz cut. Oh yeah, who wouldn't want to run their fingers through that? You're athletic and kind of a nerd. Hot combo, just like me. And, bro. Your personality. Fuck yea the girls and guys should be all over that." She hip-bumped him playfully and he laughed.

"We're horrible people." He shook his head in despair. Gracie sighed dramatically.

"As we so often say." She cast her gaze to the ground in mock shame as they exited the school.

**[Page Break]**

"See. My brother thinks you're sexy." Gracie cooed as she tossed her backpack into a nearby chair and kicked her shoes off at Stiles' front door. He rolled his eyes behind her as he shut the door and did the same.

"I have a suspicion Tyler thinks anything with a penis is sexy." He grumbled as he lazily scratched his stomach and glided into his living room. The blonde followed him, shuffling her sock covered feet on the hardwood floor noisily.

"I wouldn't say that…" She muttered, going straight for her friends' movie collection. Stiles flopped onto the couch and leaned back, stretching his legs out as he let out a yawn. Running her finger along the spine of each movie as she passed it, she continued. "He's rather selective, you know? Doesn't really have a 'type', per say. Like… He would tap Spock. Strong, dominant, intelligent, closed-off emotionally. He would tap Joey from Friends. Funny, kinda airheaded, but a good heart. And then, he would tap Pyramid Head. Grotesque, murderous, violent… See. No type." She glanced back at her friend as she grabbed a movie and tugged it from the shelf.

"It scares me that you basically just described yourself." Stiles' voice was muffled through the arm he had laid over his face. Gracie smirked, popping open the case and setting the DVD in the player.

"Well, he is my brother." She affirmed as she grabbed the three remotes she needed and sat down; turning the TV on with one, turning the stereo on with the other for better sound, and the DVD remote. She snuggled into the back of the comfy couch and stared at the previews, not bothering to jump to the main menu.

"You know. I always pictured your brother to be a submissive person. I can't picture him 'tapping' anyone." Stiles let out a visible shudder. Gracie made a gagging noise.

"Let's stop talking about this. I just want to watch this movie." Her voice was quiet and her eyes were wide as they zeroed in on the main menu for the movie The Birds. Stiles laughed and raised an eyebrow.

"You hate this movie." He was amused and slightly confused at the same time, but eager to watch the old sixties film. The blonde next to him shrugged casually, sinking lower into the couch and putting her feet on the coffee table in front of her.

"It's not really hate." She tilted her head up and over to look up at Stiles. "More of a strong dislike and intense confusion."

"Confusion?" He pondered, reaching over and taking the remote to start the film. Gracie nodded, folding her arms across her stomach.

"I'm confused at how stupid the people are. I mean, if there were birds coming and attacking me because I'm human, I would just wear a bird suit and pretend to be a bird." She shrugged. Stiles couldn't control the laughter that spewed from his lips. He doubled over and clutched his stomach, loosing breath quickly. Gracie, not alarmed in the least at his loss of air circulation, simply reached over and patted his back as her eyes were glued to the large television screen in front of them as the movie began.

A couple minutes of laughter and gasping later, Stiles was wiping tears from the corner of his eyes and leaning back into his original place. "You amaze me. A bird suit, really?" He asked incredulously. Gracie shrugged with a grin.

They were almost halfway through the movie when footsteps thumping down the stairs brought Gracie's attention to behind the couch. She turned and peered over the edge, watching Stiles' dad as he grabbed his coat. The Sheriff noticed Gracie and smiled.

"Hey, Grace. You staying over tonight?" He asked, pulling his coat on. She nodded.

"Yeeppp. Too lazy to go home. Got called in late?" She was sympathetic. She knew that the Sheriff had really odd hours sometimes and didn't envy him for it. He nodded in response.

"Yep. Keep that kid of mine in check while I'm gone. I'll be back pretty late. See you kids in the morning." He called as he walked out the door, grabbing the keys to his patrol car. Gracie glanced over at Stiles once he was gone, but he was looking at his phone. He stood up.

"Come on, Scott needs us to take him to the school." Gracie followed him as he went to the door and put his shoes on, with her doing the same. She blinked.

"The bus?" She guessed. He nodded, leaving his house and heading to his Jeep.

"Yeah." He got inside and they were on their way to pick up the teen wolf. Several minutes later and one Scott added into the picture, Gracie found herself staring up at the school's closed gates at around eleven at night. She blew air out of her nose and closed her eyes, rubbing her temple as Scott and Stiles made their way to the gate.

"Hey, no, just me." Scott stopped Stiles. "You guys need to keep watch."

"How come I always have to keep watch?" Stiles had a notable pout in his voice.

"Because there are only two of us guys." Scott growled out. Gracie rolled her eyes at that, not even bothering it with a comment for now. Stiles had already started to climb the fence, when Scott pulled him back down.

"Okay." Stiles started, frustrated. "Why's it starting to feel like you're Batman and I'm Robin?" He questioned. "I don't want to be Robin all the time." Stiles spazzed in annoyance.

"Nobody's Batman and Robin any of the time." Scott replied with equal frustration. Stiles' shoulders slumped.

"Not even some of the time?" He was upset now.

"Just stay here!" Scott growled out.

"Oh my GOD!" Stiles half-yelled into Scotts face before walking towards Gracie with a small, irritated, "Fine." The blond peered at her short-haired friend.

"For what it's worth." She started. "I think you're an awesome Robin." Stiles sent her a grin. "And, at least you're not Oracle. Because, apparently, since I'm a woman, I can't do anything. Might as well be confined to a wheelchair and be a super genius." She rolled her eyes as she piled into the back of Stiles' Jeep. He got into the driver's seat and rubbed the back of his head.

"Gracie, you couldn't be Oracle." He admitted eyes in front of him. "A: You run too much to be in a wheelchair. B: You're not smart enough." He let out a yelp as Gracie smacked him in the back of the head.

"Dick." She muttered with a frown, settling herself against the side of the vehicle. He sent her a grin.

"You'd be an awesome Harley Quinn, though." He gestured to her blonde hair. She blinked.

"So, basically, I should be a freaking psychotic ass villain that is in love with another villain that doesn't feel anything for me and simply uses me for his own needs?" Her voice was monotone and her gaze was blank. Stiles blinked.

"Sounds about right." He teased, grinning. She laughed and rolled her eyes at him, focusing her gaze out the window.

"I should just be a female Flash." Her gaze caught something in the distance. "Flash." She repeated, causing Stiles to nod his head to say he heard her. "Flash!" She hit his arm. "There's a flashlight!" She whispered. His eyes widened when he saw it and he started to honk the horn of his Jeep like crazy to get Scott out of there in enough time. Gracie watched as Scott came running out of the bus and towards them before he jumped of the car there and over the fence with a flip. He got into the car and started screaming at Stiles to go, to which he swiftly backed up and took off.

"Did it work? Did you remember?" Stiles half-yelled in excitement as they raced down the school's drive. Scott looked behind them quickly.

"Yeah, I was there last night." He breathed out, but he didn't sound regretful so Gracie was hopeful. "And the blood—a lot of it was mine." He glanced at Gracie, to which she gave him a small smile.

"So you did attack him?" Stiles was panicking over the thought of being caught as well as the fact that he believed his friend to be the attacker of the bus driver.

"No." Scott shook his head. "I saw glowing eyes in the bus, but they weren't mine. It was Derek." Scott said firmly. Gracie raised both of her eyebrows as she listened in.

"What about the driver?" Stiles questioned, glancing away from the road for a split second to look at Scott.

"I think I was actually trying to protect him." The lacrosse star breathed out, glancing back behind them once again.

"Wait, why would Derek help you remember that he attacked the driver?" Stiles was starting to make sense now and Gracie leaned forward.

"Exactly." She gave a pointed look at Scott. Scott let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head.

"That's what I don't get!" He growled out.

"It's gotta be a pack thing." Stiles took a turn, glancing around cautiously.

"What do you mean?" Gracie was confused. She didn't know as much about werewolves like Stiles did.

"Like an initiation. You do the kill together." Stiles glanced back at Gracie before eyeing Scott. Scott scowled.

"Because ripping someone's throat out is a real bonding experience?" His voice was full of sarcasm and Gracie couldn't help the small snicker that came from her mouth.

"Sure. But you didn't join in, which means you're not killer material, sweetie." Gracie placed a hand on his shoulder gently. He sent her a small, weary smile.

"And it also means that…" Stiles started but was stopped by Scott.

"I can go out with Allison." Scott grinned widely, very pleased with the news. Stiles blinked and stared at Scott for a moment before shrugging.

"I was gonna say it means you won't kill us." The tone he used implied that it should've been the first thing on Scotts mind, and the werewolf nodded his head in response.

"Oh, yeah. That too." He affirmed, grinning back at Gracie. The blonde lay down in the back of the Jeep and folded her arms behind her head.

"I like Allison, bro. Try and keep her around, okay?" She kicked the back of the passenger seat with her foot, earning a glare and a yell from Stiles and a grin from Scott.

"Can do." The love-struck fool breathed out as a glazed over look overtook him.

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><p><strong>Tell me whatchu think, gurl. (I apologize for that, I'm currently obsessed with Toby Turner and my inner monologue is now completely filled with his lingo and pseudo-accent.)<strong>


	9. He Was Shot

**This chapter (as well as the next) happens to be one of my favorite's that I have written thus far. (And, as of this note I have written up until chapter fifteen.) There will be plenty of Derek/Gracie action, just not in the romantic variety. I hope you all enjoy. Please review and tell me what you thought. 3**

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><p>"So Derek didn't bite you?" Gracie questioned with a glance at her younger friend as she closed her locker door, her literature book and 'The Great Gatsby' in her arms. Scott shook his head.<p>

"That's what he said." He mumbled, watching as Gracie leaned against her locker, her brows furrowed.

"And there is an Alpha out there, and that's what bit you." Scott nodded at Gracie's statement. "Do you think Derek or the Alpha killed that bus driver?" She whispered, her gaze pinned on Scott. He shook his head and shrugged.

"I don't know. I don't know what to believe anymore. I'm so confused." He ran a hand through his hand, making a sigh of frustration. "This is too much!" He growled out, clenching his fists. Gracie quickly placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, come on, now. Don't get so frustrated. We'll figure this out, bro. You have me and Stiles in your corner." She squeezed his shoulder affectionately with a smile. "I have to head to Lit. I'll see you after school." She gave him another pat on the shoulder before walking around him and down the hall. The hallways were pretty much clearing out and she knew she was going to be late. The blonde didn't really care, it wouldn't be the first time she was late. Her teachers half expected it by now. Sure, she had decent grades, but she was generally always tardy. She blew air out of her nose in boredom, wishing time could skip forward and she wouldn't have to go to her last class of the day, as she turned the corner. She took a few steps before the image in front of her registered in her mind. In a nearby corner of a locker and the wall, the man she was just talking about was hunched over with his eyes closed tight. She glanced up and down the hallway and saw no one. She bit her lip, her green eyes focusing back on the wolf. She took a hesitant step forward that guided her to him, stopping in front of him.

He was pale, really pale. There was a sheen of sweat on his face and bags under his eyes. His cheeks looked sunken in and he was breathing heavy. She could tell he was lethargic and obviously in pain. She shifted her weight to one side and leaned forward a tiny bit.

"Are you okay?" She whispered softly, causing the male to lift his head sharply and narrow his eyes in on her. He seemed to relax a bit when he saw that it was her and his eyes closed again, his head dropping back to the cool tile behind him.

"Where's Scott?" His voice sounded like shit too, it was hoarse and cracked a bit. She shrugged casually.

"I don't know what class he has right now." She glanced around the hall again and stepped forward. "Do you need help? You don't look so good." She reached out for his shoulder and he pulled back roughly, scowling.

"I'm fine. I just need Scott." Derek groaned out, closing his eyes once again. Gracie frowned and held her books to her chest, staring at the wolf.

"I just saw him not even two minutes ago, he was down that hallway." She pointed to the hall she just turned from. "Do you want any help?" She prodded, her voice soft once again. Derek shook his head.

"I can find him on my own." He muttered. The bell rang to signal that class had started and made Gracie officially late. Derek, who was concentrated on listening to his surroundings to try and find Scott, jumped and quickly covered his ears. He stumbled forward a bit in his disorientation and Gracie immediately dropped her books to the ground to grab his arm and hold him steady.

"You need to see a doctor." She stated firmly, glaring at the older man. He growled and shoved her away with his right arm.

"Go to class." He spoke through clenched teeth as he stumbled away from her and down the hall she had pointed to. Gracie glared after him and sighed, reaching down and grabbing her books. As she was raising herself up, she noticed something red on her arm where he shoved her. She looked at her closer and her face paled when she recognized the substance as blood. She took in a panicked breath and dropped her books once again as she pulled the sleeve of her black hoodie down and rubbing furiously at the blood on her other arm. Even after the blood was wiped off, she could still feel the substance on her and made a small noise in the back of her throat as she rubbed harder. A few moments later, she pulled her hand back from her arm and was greeted with bright red skin staring back at her, almost raw from her panic. She shivered before picking up her books again. She glanced down the hallway that Derek had turned down and made her way to follow after him, now that she knew he was in fact hurt.

"Get to class, Miss Dent. You're going the wrong way." A nearby teacher scowled at her and pointed in the opposite direction she was heading in. She frowned at him and said nothing as she turned around and marched down the hall to her Literature class.

She spent the rest of the class period twitching in her seat and tapping her fingers on the desk rapidly. Her gaze kept shifting to the clock every two minutes and she was getting frustrated at how slow the time was passing. She felt her leg bouncing up and down underneath her desk and she let out a sigh, her eyes glued to the clock.

"Miss Dent. Do you have somewhere better to be?" The high-pitched voice of her Literature teacher stabbed at her ear drums. She rolled her eyes and tilted her head to glare at the man staring down at her with a scowl. She didn't like him; he was condescending and thought that he was better than all of his students because it was a normal class instead of his honors or AP class.

"I do actually." She stated, arching an eyebrow at her teacher. He sputtered for a moment to think of something to say when the bell rang. Gracie grabbed her stuff and practically ran out of the room and to her locker. She quickly shoved everything she needed in her bag and headed towards the parking lot, looking around for an injured wolf along the way. She saw no signs of him and couldn't help but wonder if he had left the property, or if something worse happened.

She weaved in and out of the crowd of people exiting the school and tried to look for Scott instead. She cursed verbally when she didn't see him either. She made her way to her Altima and was about to unlock the door when she heard the screeching of tires. She turned her head in that direction and found one of the people she was looking for. Derek was standing in front of Stiles' Jeep, his arm out to stop him from going any further. Slowly, Gracie locked her car once again and pulled her bag higher on her shoulder, walking towards the scene nervously. Car horns started to blare at the holdup occurring and Derek collapsed to the ground. Gracie took in a sharp breath and picked up her pace, dropping beside the fallen man just as Scott arrived by her side.

"Shit! I told you that you needed a goddamn doctor!" She hissed as she helped him sit back up. He shot her a glare, and she knew he wasn't exactly pleased that he was in a vulnerable condition and had to have her assistance. Scott growled.

"What are you doing here?" He spoke harshly through clenched teeth. The older man ignored the tone and let out a tired huff of breath, his eyes barely staying open.

"I was shot." He muttered softly. Gracie shivered, remembering the blood on her arm earlier and glanced down at his hand, seeing blood still dripping off of it slowly. She made a gagging noise and covered her mouth with her hand, turning away so she didn't have to see it. She closed her eyes tightly and just listened to what was going on.

"He's not looking so good, dude." Stiles spoke with a nervous tremor in his voice. He was absolutely terrified of Derek, and everyone knew that.

"Why aren't you healing?" Scott questioned in a state of panic. Gracie wasn't sure of the reason; because Derek Hale was at their school and causing a scene, or because he was actually worried about the Beta.

"I can't… It was a different kind of special bullet." He was struggling for breath and to complete his sentence, had to take in deep breaths throughout his statement. Gracie rolled her closed eyes and opened them, staring at Scott.

"A silver bullet?" Stiles was excited now. He was really interested in learning all about werewolves, and lately Scott had been a bit touchy with all the questions being asked.

"No, you idiot." Derek growled out, glaring up at the standing brunette.

"Wait, wait." Scott said it like he just realized something. "That's what she meant when she said you had 48 hours." Scott peered at the now surprised Derek.

"What?" He tried to say it strongly, but ended up groaning and wincing in pain. "Wh-Who said 48 hours?" He was a little panicked now, and Gracie didn't blame him.

"The one who shot you." The tone Scott used made it sound like it was common knowledge. Gracie peered over at Derek hesitantly, avoiding his arm at all costs. Her eyes widened when she saw that his eyes were an ice blue tone and then he let out a pain groan, closing his eyes and rocking a bit to try and calm himself down. His eyes were flickering from ice blue to their gray-green when they were open and she couldn't help but gape at the action. Scott pulled away from the older male, seeing the danger.

"What are you doing? Stop that!" Scott tried to yell in a hushed tone.

"I'm trying to tell you! I can't!" Derek growled out, his eyes fully blue for a moment before he forced them back to their natural color.

"Derek." Scott lowered his voice and had a firm tone. "Get up." He commanded the older male, who took in a couple of huffed breaths and glared at the younger Beta through his once again ice blue eyes. Gracie rolled her eyes at the three of them.

"You all are pathetic." She ground out before gripping his injured arm at the bicep and pulling as she tried to stand up. Of course, he was too heavy for her to pull up all alone, but Scott got the drift and went behind Derek and helped pull him to his feet.

"Help get him in the Jeep." He ordered. Gracie rolled her eyes at being told to do what she was already doing and quickly let go of the wolf to open the door, and then helped sit him in the passenger seat gently. She patted his shoulder softly as she closed the door and walked around to the drivers' side, giving Stiles a sympathetic smile. She heard Derek tell Scott that he needed to find out what kind of bullet they used, who which he responded with a semi-loud 'Why should I help you'? Gracie bit her lip, standing in front of the drivers' door peering at them.

"Because you need me." Derek was serious too. From what Gracie was told about the Alpha, Scott would need Derek's help in taking him down. Stiles tapped Gracie on the lower back to get her to move and she took off her bag and tossed it in the back of the Jeep. She climbed in the drivers' side and grunted as she slid over the back of the seats and into the bed of the Jeep. When she perked up to face forward, Derek was peering at her with an eyebrow raised and Stiles was already in the car. She gave a casual shrug and folded her arms on the back of the seat, resting her chin on them.

"I hate you for this so much." Stiles sighed out as he started the car and drove off of the schools' property. As they turned onto the main road, Gracie turned her gaze to Derek.

"Do your eyes always do that?" She prodded the man for information. He glanced down at her out of the corner of his eye, but said nothing. "I mean, turn blue. Does that happen when you're going to wolf out?" She laid her head to where her left cheek was on her arms and her green gaze was up at the man's face. He shrugged lamely, not really answering her question.

"That's cool." She whispered, pouting slightly. "So you're a Beta? Like Scott?" She asked another question. He glared down at her. "So you can't turn into a wolf? Like, a real wolf?" She scooted closer to the back of the seats and blinked. He let out a sigh, dropping his head back to the seat.

"Can you ever turn into a wolf?" She continued on. "Do you eat a lot of raw meat? Do you eat humans?" She whispered the last question, her eyes slightly wide. Derek growled.

"Why do you ask so many questions?" He hissed in pain, glaring down at her once again. She shrugged.

"My mommy once told me to never be afraid to ask questions." She stated in a childlike voice, smiling up at the older male with a toothy grin. He shook his head at her and she heard a beep from Stiles' phone, saying that Scott responded to the text he had just sent him. Stiles let out a frustrated sigh and slammed his phone into the center console before glancing over at the bleeding man.

"Hey, try not to bleed out on my seats, okay?" He shook his head in exasperation before focusing on the road. "We're almost there."

"Almost where?" Derek inquired softly, his gaze shifting from Gracie to the floorboard below him as he closed his eyes in agony. Gracie bit her lip slightly, and kept her attention off of his wound.

"Your house." Stiles sighed out like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What?" Derek sounded confused as he lifted his head to stare at Stiles. "No, you can't take me there." Stiles gaped.

"I can't take you to your own house?" He asked with a mix of bitterness and sarcasm.

"Not when I can't protect myself." Again, it was like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Werewolves were complicated; that's what Gracie had deduced in the past half hour. Stiles clenched his jaw before pulling the Jeep over to the side of the road, next to a park. He turned the car off and turned to Derek to hound him.

"What happens if Scott doesn't find your little magic bullet?" He demanded the answer, half yelling. Gracie sat up straight and folded her hands in her lap. "Hmm? Are you dying?" He didn't even give the wolf a chance to answer before asking that question. Derek's gaze drifted down.

"Not yet." He let out heavily before groaning softly. "I have a last resort."

"What last resort?" Gracie questioned softly, not as irritated as Stiles. Far from it. She noticed Derek movie his arm and he pulled up his sleeve on his right arm. She made the stupid mistake of looking down and saw a bullet in his skin, a rather decent sized whole with blood, puss, and a little bit of smoke coming out of it. She let out a loud gag and turned away, closing her eyes tightly. She heard Stiles let out a similar, albeit more verbal response. She groaned and put her hands over her eyes, squeezing them shut tighter in hopes to remove the vision from her mind.

"Is that contagious?" Stiles sounded like he was about to throw up, and Gracie knew she was about to if she didn't control her gag reflex better. She hated blood. She hated wounds. God, she hated today.

"You know what; you should probably just get out." Stiles gestured to the door, not even looking at the wolf anymore.

"We have to help him." Gracie whispered to her younger friend, not much enjoying the idea of leaving someone to die on the street.

"Listen to your friend. Start the car." Derek ordered before glancing over at Stiles. "Now." He growled with a snarl.

"I don't think you should be barking orders at me with the way you look, okay?" Stiles stuttered a moment before moving on. "In fact, I think if I wanted to, I could probably drag your little werewolf ass out into the middle of the road and leave you for dead!" Stiles pointed out to the street and spoke in a higher tone. Gracie shifted her eyes to the werewolf in the car, only to see him staring at Stiles with a slight gaping expression before he narrowed his eyes.

"Start the car. Or I'm going to rip your throat out." He leaned forward and snarled. "With my teeth." The seething tone got to the young driver and he gaped for a moment in shock before turning away and starting the car casually.

"That's kinky and all, but in your shape, you couldn't rip beef jerky with your teeth, honey." Gracie whispered, lifting her brows to the ceiling as her gaze followed and successfully avoiding Derek's glare. She needed something to get her mind off of the disgusting image of Derek's arm, and sarcasm was that escape. Stiles muttered something inaudible to her hearing as he started to drive around aimlessly.

The next couple of hours, they just drove in a circle before he pulled over by the same park once it started to get dark out. Gracie quickly shot a text to her mother to tell her she would be staying at Stiles' that night and leaned forward to peer at Stiles.

"Has Scott gotten the bullet yet?" She whispered softly, glancing over at the werewolf who had his eyes closed. She knew he was awake, but she didn't want to bother him with the current state he was in. Stiles sighed and grabbed his phone, calling Scott. The moment the boy answered, Stiles frowned.

"What am I supposed to do with him?" He exaggerated every word by saying the sentence slowly like one would a child. The blonde faintly heard the muffled sound of Scotts' voice and sighed, rubbing her face with her hand. She was so tired right now.

"And by the way, he's starting to smell." Stiles complained with a groan. Derek lifted his head slowly to glare at the brunette. Gracie let out a chuckle and gently patted Derek's shoulder to console his rather offended look.

"Like death." Stiles croaked out to Scott, not even sparing a glance at the blonde or the dark haired male in the car with him. Scott said something and Stiles twitched.

"What about your boss?" He inquired. Ah, Scott wanted them to take Derek to the animal clinic. Stiles sighed and handed the phone out to the fatigued young adult.

"You're not going to believe where he's telling me to take you." He mumbled out, rubbing his eyes. Derek said nothing as he took the phone and held it up to his left ear.

"Did you find it?" His breathing was labored and his eyes were dragging closed. Scott responded. "Look, if you don't find it, then I'm dead, all right?" Derek sounded way too casual about it and Gracie frowned.

"Then think about this." Derek lowered his tone a notch, indicating he was getting serious. "The Alpha called you out against your will. He's gonna do it again. Next time, you either kill with him or you get killed. So if you wanna stay alive, then you need me." Derek took a breath. "Find the bullet." He then hung up on Scott and tossed Stiles his phone. Stiles took in a deep breath before he ran a hand over his hair. He started up his Jeep and started to drive off again.

"He wants us to take him to the animal clinic?" The blonde questioned, eyeing her friend that was driving. Stiles nodded. She couldn't help but grin and turned her gaze to the wolf. "That's oddly appropriate, yes?" She inquired, wiggling her eyebrows at him. He glared at her for a moment before letting his head drop back on the window to rest. She chuckled softly before laying her chin on the back of the seat once again. They were then on route to the clinic and Gracie glanced up at Derek.

"I have a question." She addressed Derek. He sighed and rolled his eyes before peering down at her. "If you die..." She paused and sat up, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Can I have your Camaro?" She was serious as a heart attack. Why should she let such a nice car go to waste when she could make a perfectly responsible replacement owner? The wolf glared at her while Stiles let out a snorting laugh as he tried to focus on the road. She immediately raised her hands in a defensive gesture.

"I'm just saying. It's a sexy car. Can you blame me for trying?" She pouted as she turned around and leaned her back against the back of Stiles' seat. The wolf shook his head at her and groaned as he shifted in his seat, clutching his arm in pain. Gracie couldn't help the frown that crossed her face at the sight of the man writhing in agony before her, knowing there wasn't anything she could do about it.

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><p><strong>Sorry if there are any errors, whether it be through spelling, grammar, or out of character-ness. I tried my best. I really am pleased with this chapter and, if you all review, I might even post up the next chapter tomorrow. 3<strong>


	10. Healing

**A special thanks to .Uchiha for being the first to politely notify me that I had indeed accidentally posted the same chapter twice.**

**I went in to change it several hours ago, actually. However, there seemed to have been an error with the fanfiction . net server, because I found that every time I went to upload the real chapter ten, I was automatically logged out and it was a vicious circle that ended in a rather loud frustrated scream and me rage quitting the internet for a couple hours. Now it's working fine! (Stupid technology.)**

**Anyway, this is the REAL chapter ten! I'm quite proud of this chapter and the last. I fully believe I kept Derek in character throughout the whole thing, even in the unscripted moments with Gracie. (Which is always the hardest thing for me. x_x)**

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><p>The tires screeched slightly as Stiles pulled over behind the animal clinic. He quickly shut the car off and got out. Gracie slid to the back of the Jeep and got out, slamming the back door behind her. She made her way to the passenger seat as Stiles went to open the cargo door of the clinic. She opened Derek's door.<p>

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." She chanted once Derek started to slide out of the car torso first. She grunted as she placed both of her hands on his left arm and pushed him into a sitting position. He opened his eyes groggily and groaned, quickly swinging his legs over and getting out. He stumbled a bit and almost fell, until the blonde wrapped her arms around his waist and held him up. He tried to push her away indignantly, but she let out a growl that matched his own.

"Stop! You need my help right now, so stop acting like a child and get over it." She hissed through clenched teeth as she kicked the passenger door closed and helped him limp towards the open cargo door. He didn't argue with her as she guided him inside. Once inside, she helped him plop down on a pile of dog food bags and he was huffing to catch his breath. The sweat upon his skin was more prominent and she frowned. She pulled the sleeve of her jacket down over her hand and wiped the sweat off of his brow and cheeks. He was really warm, obviously having a fever. She glanced around the room for anything that could be used to help cool him down, and cursed when she found nothing.

"Does Nordic blue monkshood mean anything to you?" Stiles questioned Derek as he turned around from reading the text on his phone, most likely from Scott. Derek's gaze, which was focused on Gracie's green eyes, shifted to Stiles. The blonde, who had just realized he was watching her, turned away from the older man as she felt a flush come across her face as well.

"It's a rare form of wolfsbane." He responded, watching Stiles as he continued to hold onto his arm. "He has to bring me the bullet."

"Why?" Stiles sounded a little panicked, as he should be. Gracie turned back around just in time to see Derek lift his gaze to Stiles and shake his head softly.

"'Cause I'm going to die without it." He sounded way too casual about it, in the blondes' opinion. He had been casual about this entire situation. Like he didn't really care. And it pissed her off. She lifted her gaze to Stiles and snarled.

"Tell Scott to _get that bullet_ here right now." She hissed out, clenching her fists. "I'm not going to allow someone to die when there is something to be done to stop it!" She whispered harshly, scowling at her friend. Stiles gaped for a moment before nodding, and quickly texting back. "Get the key, and unlock that goddamn door." Stiles continued to gape at her for a moment, until she hissed. "_Now_." He went into action and quickly grabbed the spare key and unlocked the door to go inside the clinic. As he was working to unlock the door, Gracie grabbed Derek's left arm and helped him to his feet.

"We have to get the bullet out. It's still in there." She stated as she guided the hunched over shifter into the building. "Granted, the poison that was in that bullet is still going to be in your system. But getting that bullet out will hopefully help with the recovery process once we can get the wolfsbane out of your system." She glanced up at Derek. "If the poisons' out, you'll heal, right?" He nodded in response, watching her quietly as he was guided into an examination room. As she guided him, Derek began to lift his shirt off of his injured arm and, once in the room, tossed it off completely to the ground. The blonde's gaze drifted over his torso when he crossed in front of her and leaned against the metal table. She bit her lip softly and her pupils dilated to a larger size. Derek lifted his head when he felt the change. He stared at the blonde and cleared his throat.

"How do you know all this?" His voice snapped her out of it and a red flush hit her cheeks. She moved by him quickly and started to rummage through the drawers and cabinets, looking for a pair of tweezers. She cleared her own throat and licked her lips as she searched.

"My father is a surgeon and my brother is going to school to be a neurosurgeon. We watch a lot of medical documentaries in my family. You tend to keep some interesting information stored in your head when the only channel on your television is a medical one." She laughed bitterly as she found a pair of tweezers. She turned back around to Derek and her eyes landed on the wound. She openly gagged and stumbled away from him, into Stiles. Her friend grasped her around her shoulders and held her in place.

"Oh my god." She groaned out, turning around and burying her face into Stiles' shoulder. He gave her a gentle hug and patted her shoulder.

"Do you want me to do it?" He was already reaching for the metal instrument when she pulled back, shaking her head.

"No. I can. It has to be done carefully. You aren't very careful." She laughed weakly before turning back around. Her gaze met Derek's and she frowned slightly, taking in a deep breath and walking towards him.

"I'm going to need you to be very still." Her voice was quiet, barely a murmur, and she felt her stomach doing flip flops. He nodded mutely at her and flinched only slightly when her hand gripped his forearm roughly just below the wound. Blood squeezed out through the hole and dribbled down. Gracie made another loud gagging noise and bit her lip, feeling the moisture building in her eyes. She shakily brought the tweezers down and took a deep breath to steady herself as she lowered the tool to the wound. The wolf hissed only slightly at the feel of the cool metal on his open wound, moaning in pain when it sunk in deeper. The blood began to flow a bit more freely and the blondes' face morphed into one of despair. She didn't want to be doing this at all. She wiggled the tweezers gently to get a good grip on the bullet and, when that happened, looked up at Derek.

When she had eye contact with him, she gave a weak smile and knew that it was going to hurt. "You know." She started, her grip on the bullet tightening. "You're the finest thing in history." She flirted weakly. When the look of confusion crossed his face, she ripped the bullet out of his skin and threw it across the room with the tweezers. She brought her hand to her mouth and closed her eyes tightly, letting some tears slip down. She hated blood, god she hated it. The smell, the feel, the color, the meaning. She hated it all. Derek gasped out at the feeling, but soon gritted his teeth and sucked it up. Stiles looked between the two from the other side of the table.

"You know, that really doesn't look like anything some Echinacea and a good night of sleep couldn't take care of." He joked casually, trying to keep the mood from shifting to panic. Derek shook his head.

"When the infection reaches my heart, it'll kill me." He stated solemnly. He started to breath heavy once again and he turned around to shift through the cabinets like Gracie previously was, and her green orbs zeroed in on a tattoo in between his shoulder blades. It was a triple swirl, pure black. A swirl like the one they found made of the wolfsbane rope around Laura's grave. Grace couldn't help but wonder if the swirls had some special meaning to werewolves. She'd have to ask Derek about it when he was better. _If_ he got better, that was.

"'Positivity' just isn't in your vocabulary, is it?" Stiles questioned bitterly. The Beta sighed as he closed the cabinet he was looking through and opened a drawer below him.

"If he doesn't get here with the bullet in time…" He paused, rifling through the drawer. "Last resort." He breathed out.

"Which is?" Stiles questioned, watching the wolf carefully. Derek grabbed something and turned around. The blonde gasped and took a step back from him.

"You're gonna cut off my arm." He looked Stiles square in the face, holding up the saw-blade. Gracie blinked and the panic set in.

"No, no, no, no." She stepped in front of the wolf. "That's a horrible last resort!" She gestured to the blade. "Why does a vet even have one of those?" She yelled, turning towards Stiles who stood gaping at the news that he would have to cut off the man's arm. She felt a hand on her hip and a pressure shoving her to the side. She moved easily to the side as the wolf wanted her too. She watched quietly as he sat the saw down and slid it to Stiles. The boy picked it up and looked at it dumbfounded for a moment before he turned it on and the sound of the buzzing filled the room. Gracie groaned and dropped her head, bracing her arms against the operation table as she felt her stomach flip flop.

"Oh, my God." Stiles groaned, dropping the saw. Derek began to wrap a blue elastic band around his bicep, just above the area where the poison stopped being visible in his veins. "What if you bleed to death?" Stiles demanded, watching the wolf.

"It'll heal if it works." His response was muffled by the plastic in his mouth.

"Uh… Look." Stiles gulped. "I don't know if I can do this." He admitted with a disgusted look on his face.

"Why not?" The oldest of the trio growled, tying the band into a knot.

"Well, because of the cutting through the flesh, the sawing of the bone, and especially the blood!" Stiles half-yelled. Derek rolled his eyes and dropped his arm to the table with a 'thunk'.

"You faint as the sight of blood?" He questioned tiredly.

"Yes." Gracie piped up from beside the wolf. He shifted his gaze to her and gave a very small, very weak smile. She moved her gaze to Stiles who gave his own response.

"No, but I might at the sight of a chopped-off arm!" He whispered harshly. Derek sighed in defeat and looked down at the table.

"Fine. How about this?" He took a minute to look up at Stiles darkly. "Either you cut off my arm, or I'm gonna cut off your head."

"Okay, you know what, I'm so not buying your threats any—" Stiles started, but Derek reached across the table and like lightening had the boys collar in his grip and pulled him down so that Derek could glare at him.

"Oh, my God. Okay. All right, bought, sold." Stiles stammered to get out of the wolf's vice-like grip. "Totally. I'll do it, I'll do it." He continued to agree and the blonde girl took a step forward when she noticed Derek start to breathe heavier. The tears still stung at her eyes due to the blood that was present on her fingers from removing the bullet. When the man started to moan in pain and turn his head to the side, she knew something was wrong and felt more moisture gather in her eyes.

"What? What are you doing?" Stiles asked in a panic. Suddenly, the wolf let out a gag as dark red, almost black fluid poured from his mouth and onto the floor. Gracie let out a whine and buried her face in her hands, closing her eyes as she felt the waterworks begin.

"What is thaaattt?" She whined out, not bothering to cover up the fact that she was crying.

"It's my body trying to heal itself." Derek informed them as he came back up from vomiting and looked at Stiles weakly.

"Well, it's not doing a very good job of it." Stiles groaned out, sounding like he was going to get sick.

"Now. You gotta do it now." The wolf demanded, laying his head on the cool metal table.

"Look, honestly, I don't think I can." Stiles started to say.

"Just do it!" Derek yelled for the first time, frustrated with the humans' lack of cooperation. Stiles jumped and immediately grabbed the saw blade.

"Oh, my God. Okay, okay." He muttered, he placed the saw on Derek's skin, his finger hovering on the power button. Gracie let out a squeak and turned around, crouching on the ground and covering her ears so she wouldn't have to hear it. She heard Stiles yell something, but it was muffled by her hands. Suddenly, Scott came around the corner and the blonde looked up.

"What the hell are you doing?" Scott yelled, coming over to the trio and stopping Stiles from cutting Derek's arm off.

"Scott!" Gracie yelled and wrapped her arms around his middle, completely happy that he was there. "Please tell me you have the bullet!" She begged at the same time that Derek asked, "Did you get it?" The younger boy rifled through his pocket and the blonde stood, watching as he pulled out a bullet and handed it to Derek. The man stood up straight for the first time since his injury and examined the piece of metal.

"What are you gonna do with it?" Stiles asked, watching the wolf. The green-gray eyed man stared at the bullet for a minute.

"I'm gonna—" He repeated himself twice before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed onto the ground, passed out. The bullet dropped and rolled down into a vent. Scott cursed and went to go get it while Stiles and Gracie crowded the fallen man.

"Derek." Stiles stated firmly, moving the man's head to see if he was awake at all. He wasn't. He was out cold. "Derek, come on, wake up." Stiles said firmly, slapping the man's cheeks gently.

"Scott, what the hell are we going to do?" Stiles asked in a panic, and got a panicked, "I don't know!" in response.

"He's not waking up!" Stiles yelled over to his friend, who was concentrating on getting the bullet from the vent. "I think he's dying." Stiles moved Derek around and panicked. "I think he's dead!" He yelled, fear coursing through his veins.

Suddenly, Scott stood up screaming about how he had the bullet and Gracie looked up, seeing the metal object in her friends' hand. Stiles slapped Derek's cheeks to try and wake him up, but it wasn't working. "He's still not waking up!" He frowned. Gracie let out a growl and shoved Stiles off of the older male, straddling the fallen man. She drew her hand back and punched him square in the cheek, causing his head to jerk. His eyes shot open and they connected with hers. She let out a relieved breath and slid off of his stomach, leaning against the counter as he groaned.

"Give me…" He reached his hand out for the bullet. Scott and Stiles helped the two up respectively. The blonde teen leaned forward as she watched the wolf bite off the tip of the bullet and empty the herbal contents out onto the table. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a lighter, lighting the herbs on fire. It sizzled and Gracie pulled her head back away from the flames. When the fire died down, Derek scooped the contents into his hand and stared at his wound reluctantly.

"Shit, you're not going to—" She was cut off by Derek pressing the herbs into his wound and shoving it in deeper with his finger. He let out a scream of agony and stumbled back, slamming into the counter behind him before falling down to the ground and writhing in pain. Gracie watched with a gape and took a hesitant step forward, not sure of what to do. The male let out another scream that morphed into a loud roar from his wolf side as his back arched off the ground. Her eyes were drawn to his arm as the discoloration of his veins slowly disappeared and the wound healed close in a matter of seconds.

"That… was… AWESOME." Stiles yelled out, pumping his fist down in victory. Scott gaped at his friend. "Yes!" He yelled again, pleased with the outcome. The blonde shook her head in disbelief before moving forward and grabbing Derek's left bicep, helping him stand. Surprisingly, he didn't fight back this time and stood with a grunt.

"Are you okay?" Scott questioned the man, unsure if he was better since he did do a lot of screaming. The man glared at the other wolf.

"Well, except for the agonizing pain." He scowled, and Gracie couldn't help but let a laugh out. She was glad he was using sarcasm instead of screaming in pain, that's for sure.

"I'm guessing the ability to use sarcasm is a good sign of health." Stiles muttered, to which Derek glared up at him quickly, gently shrugging the blonde off of his arm. She took the hint and stepped back, giving him space to examine his arm and remove the band that was still around his right bicep.

"Okay, we saved your life, which means you're gonna leave us alone, you got that?" Scott demanded. Derek looked at him with a mix of disbelief and irritation. "And if you don't, I'm gonna go back to Allison's dad, and I'm gonna tell him everything…" The blonde frowned at her friends' words and started to say something, but Derek spoke first.

"You're gonna trust them?" He started. "You think they can help you?" He was definitely irritated.

"Well, why not?" Scott shrugged, not exactly understanding the big deal. "They're a lot freaking nicer than you are." Scott muttered. Derek stared and laughed bitterly.

"I can show you exactly how nice they are." He scowled. Scott looked confused.

"What do you mean?" He asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer. Derek smirked slightly before focusing on Stiles.

"I need you to take me to my house, and then I'm taking Scott here on a field trip." His gaze shifted to the boy once again. Stiles was about to argue, but Gracie spoke.

"Oh, my God. Just take the man back to his house, okay? He just almost died." She took a step forward. "Sure, he's somewhat of a sour wolf, but I'm pretty sure he's not trying to kill us like the Hunters or the Alpha are." She crossed her arms over her chest. "So why don't you grow a pair and just help the man out one more freaking time?" She narrowed her eyes at her now gaping friends. Stiles didn't say anything as he nodded mutely and grabbed his keys from his pocket. Scott followed along behind Stiles and Gracie let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in before making a sweeping gesture for Derek to go in front of her. He gave her a small smirk and nodded his head at her in thanks before following behind Scott. The blonde shivered slightly as a chill ran up her spine and she followed behind them.

Derek and Stiles took the front seats while Scott, Gracie, and Scotts' bike were piled in the bed. The ride there was mostly quiet, everyone keeping to themselves instead of discussing what just happened, and Gracie was perfectly fine with that. It wasn't often when she would get like that; aggressive and demanding. She didn't really like it, didn't think it suited her. She also rarely showed a level-head, and today was just a day where she needed to be on her toes. She hated that feeling, it wasn't natural. She bit her lip as she leaned forward when they started to pull into Hale's driveway. Once there, Scott slid out of the bed and got his bike out of the Jeep, resting it in the leaves. Derek got out of the Jeep, while Stiles stayed inside and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for Grace to take the passenger seat. She blew air out of her mouth as she exited the bed and closed the door behind her. When she turned around, she jumped when she saw Derek Hale standing there, peering down at her. She raised a brow and shifted slightly, waiting for him to speak. When he didn't, she opened her mouth and spoke instead.

"Sorry about… you know." She gestured to his face, meaning the punch earlier. His eyebrow twitched upward slightly, but his face remained relatively impassive. She watched him for a moment longer before she drawled out a long, "Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight." She crossed her arms over her chest and nodded. "Well, I'm going to go. And yeah." She turned away from him and started towards the passenger seat, noticing Scott watching them with a glare.

"Thanks." Hale spoke from behind her. She turned around with both eyebrows raised and watched him for a moment. "You seem to be the only one to trust me around here." He sent Scott a dark look and Gracie shook her head with a laugh.

"You haven't given me a reason not to." She shrugged and opened the passenger door and got inside, slamming it shut.

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><p><strong>Angrydominant Gracie is so badass. I enjoy the moments when her confidence spikes and she isn't afraid to take control of the situation or say what she feels. OF COURSE, it generally goes away immediately. Poor girl. 3 I STILL LOVE YOU GRACIE. NO MATTER HOW INSECURE YOU ARE WITH YOURSELF! ;D**

**Also. The entire time I watched episode four (the episode in which chapters nine and ten are based off of) I couldn't stop drooling and chanting, "Hot hot hot hot hot hot.". WHY? Because Tyler Hoechlin is a fine specimen of man and plays one hell of a werewolf. 3**

**Another PS: NONE of this story is Beta'd. So like. All the errors you find are totally my own. x_x.**


	11. Bentley?

**I would like to take a moment to address a few things that the reviews have brought to my attention, just to get some of you up to my level.**

**I know that there isn't a lot of romance going on between Derek and Gracie right now. But we're only eleven chapters into it, and this is going to be a pretty damn long story. I plan on following through with the show, and then going on and doing my own thing focusing on Derek's new pack, which yes, Gracie will be a part of. I know some of you are like, "We're eleven chapters into it already, and they still aren't together." Well, one. Gracie is seventeen still, and Derek, according to my math, is twenty three or twenty two. That's a bit of an age difference, and if Gracie's parents were to find out about her relationship with a guy that much older than her, she would most certainly be slaughtered.**

**Also, you have to take into account just _who_ Derek Hale is. He's had his entire family ripped away from him. He's probably a bit hesitant to make friends too swiftly, out of fear that they'll be taken away. So there's no way he would just jump into a relationship and be all, "You're mine now." He isn't Bill Compton, and Gracie is not Sookie Stachhouse. Derek's personality is a hard one to work with, he's pretty reserved and abrasive. However, Gracie is like a brick wall to his attitude. The most she'll do when he gets snappy with her is tell him to 'calm the fuck down, bro.'**

**Moving on to Gracie as well. Again, she's seventeen. She's NEVER been in a relationship before. (No. Not even with Stiles. THOUGH I DO ADMIT I TINKERED AROUND WITH THE THOUGHT FOR A WHILE.) She has a pretty up and down self-esteem. She values herself as a person, but she doesn't have any confidence in herself. So there's no way in hell she'll be the one to initiate the relationship. And from what I said about Derek in the above paragraph, he won't either. Despite his dominance, he still has that fear of losing everything once again.**

**So how are they going to actually _get_ together, you ask? EASY. Gracie's goddamn red-headed cousin that can't keep her nose out of anyone's business. She is introduced in this chapter, I believe. And she will become a main character around chapter eighteen or so. Simply because, Gracie doesn't _realize_ she likes Derek. SHE DOES. Don't get me wrong. That 'feeling' that she was feeling in the last chapter where Derek 'felt the change'. That was lust, ya'll. L-U-S-T. THEN. Later on, in like chapter fourteen, it happens again. But Gracie doesn't_ understand_ what it means. So you're going to have to bear with her for a while. She's kind of clueless here. BUT TRUST ME. They're will be romance after a while. Granted it will take relatively twenty chapters to get to it, but this is a slow-building relationship.**

**TO THE OTHER IDEA BROUGHT UP BY THE REVIEWS. RATED M? REALLY GUYS? YOU WANT ME TO JUST HAVE GRACIE RIP OF DEREK'S SHIRT AND DO THE NAUGHTY? WELL. Congrats. That WILL be happening in the FUTURE. Like. Super future. AFTER they get together and crap. Particularly after I'm done following along with the actual show. I plan on releasing three different stories related to Just Can't Get Enough. One will follow along with Season Two when it comes out in June. *TEEN WOLF SEASON TWO STARTS JUNE THIRD ON MTV. SPONSOR!* But, it will be considered an alternate universe to this story, because this story will continue to go on with my own ideas. And I also plan on releasing a series based on little ficlets about the pack, not just Gracie and Derek. But everyone else too. COMPLICATED. I KNOW. My brain doesn't allow me to explain things properly. Haha. Yeahhh.**

**AND. A HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY TO SAMILYNN20! Such a nice reviewer. ;D SORRY, but Derek isn't in this chapter, luv. But... he's in the next one? ;D**

** And, after this chapter, I will be returning to the 'update every Tuesday' schedule. Sorryyyy.**

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><p>"What the hell was that about?" Her younger best friend demanded as he slammed his front door after the two of them entered his home later on after dropping Scott and Derek off at the burnt down mansion. The Sheriff was still at work, and probably would be all night, so Stiles had no qualms in shouting this late in the night. Gracie frowned at the tone in her friend's voice before kicking off her shoes and tossing her jacket on the nearby chair carelessly. She strode into the boys' kitchen and opened the fridge, nosing around for something to eat.<p>

"What the hell was what about?" She muttered, glancing up at him as she grabbed a slice of the pizza that was in there and a can of orange soda. She leaned against the counter as she helped herself to the food, watching as her friend grabbed the same thing as her. He narrowed his eyes slightly.

"You went all Alpha Female on us back there!" Stiles spazzed slightly. "And then you were oh so casual with that sour wolf in his driveway!" The blonde didn't bother covering up her snort as she rolled her eyes and downed half the can of soda.

"Someone needed a level head out there, and it clearly wasn't going to be you or Scott. You guys are too focused on what he could have done rather than the fact that he is another living creature that needed help!" She shook her head as she tossed the now empty can into the recycling and wiping her greasy and crumby hands on her pants, not really caring. She crossed her arms over her chest and watched Stiles. "We cannot prove that he killed someone, period. And even if he did, letting him die isn't justice."

"You don't believe in capital punishment, do you?" Stiles gaped at her, blinking. Gracie arched a brow high.

"What does that have to do with anything, bro?" She asked, momentarily confused at the random question. Stiles stared at her for a minute before a grin crossed his face and he shook his head.

"Nevermind." He said before mimicking her previous motion of tossing the can in the recycling and dusting his hands off on his own pants. "It was kind of badass, anyway." He admitted glancing up at his green eyed friend. She sent him a small smile. The two stood around in the kitchen for a while not really doing anything before they headed up to Stiles bedroom. He browsed around on the Internet while Gracie stood by his dresser, pulling drawers open and shifting through them.

"Did you know that a wolf has forty two teeth, while humans only have thirty two?" Stiles didn't spare a glance at his friend as he continued to browse the page he was on. Gracie glanced over at him as she pulled out a pair of his black shorts. She tossed them onto his bed behind her and blinked.

"How many teeth do werewolves have?" She joked with a grin as she shuffled through the drawer again. Stiles peered at her, watching as she pulled out one of his blue t-shirts and tossed it on the bed behind her to be with the shorts. He shrugged.

"What's the average of thirty two and forty two?" Stiles questioned as he tilted his head towards the ceiling to think about it. The blonde narrowed her eyes at him sharply.

"You're a dick." She laughed out, shaking her head at him as she plopped down onto his bed. "You know I suck super hardcore at math." Stiles had a blank expression on his face before he turned to Gracie.

"Thirty seven." He said evenly. She gaped at him in confusion mixed with disbelief.

"Did you really just sit there and think about it?" She lifted a brow. He rolled his eyes at her and turned towards the ceiling.

"Leave me alone." He pouted. She laughed at him and snatched the clothes she grabbed into her hand and stood up.

"I'm gonna change." She informed him as she waltzed out of his bedroom and down the hall to the bathroom. She quickly changed into his clothes and frowned when she saw that the shorts actually fit her hips. "Not cool, bro. Not cool." She shook her head sadly as she grabbed her jeans and shirt and marched into Stiles' bedroom. He stood there with a t-shirt and sweatpants on and looked almost frightened when she slammed his door closed behind her.

"Why do your shorts fit me?" She yelled throwing her pants at him. He blocked with his arms and frowned.

"It's not my fault you're fat!" He yelled, throwing the jeans back at her. She let out an outraged noise before diving onto his bed and wrapping his blankets around her.

"You can sleep on the couch tonight!" She yelled back, curling herself into the cocoon of warmth she created. He pouted and attempted to pull one of the three blankets off of her, but to no avail. He let out an exasperated sigh and gave a full-body spasm before grumbling to himself and trudging out of his room in defeat. He gave one final glance back to his bed longingly before he shut the light off and closed his door, prepared to a rather uncomfortable night on the couch.

**[Page Break]**

"Good morning!" Gracie called cheerfully as she skipped into the Stilinski kitchen with a bright grin on her face. She was met by a smile from the Sheriff and a glare from Stiles. She had already dressed herself in the jeans she wore the day before and one of Stiles' t-shirts. She had on the dark purple Batman hoodie that she left at Stiles' house a while back and the same shoes as the day before. She really needed to start leaving more clothes at that boys' place.

"Morning, Blondie." The Sheriff responded as he stood up and adjusted his belt. He gave the girl an affectionate pat on her head as he refilled his coffee mug. "I see my son was kind enough to let you have the comfort of his own bed for the evening." Gracie rolled her eyes with a grin as she grabbed a glass from the cabinet and poured herself a glass of milk.

"It was more of me demanding he slept on the couch." She shrugged as she gulped down the cold liquid. The Sheriff sent his son a raised eyebrow and a small smirk before he shook his head.

"Well, I'm off to work. You kids have fun at school." He called as he headed out the door. Stiles rolled his eyes.

"Oh yeah. Loads of fun to be had there." He muttered, jabbing his cereal with his spoon as he sent a glare up at the blonde girl once again. She smiled and leaned forward.

"What's wrong, pookie?" She cooed in a baby voice. "You mad, bro?" Her voice turned serious and her gaze was completely blank, her eyes half lidded as she watched him for a moment. He spluttered slightly in confusion at her sudden mood change before he pouted.

"You took my bed." He grumbled.

"You called me fat." She stated evenly. He flailed.

"I didn't mean it!" He chimed defensively. It was the blondes turn to pout.

"Then why did you say it?" She arched a brow and cocked her head to the side. He blinked, lowering his arms and frowned. He shrugged.

"I got nothing." He stated honestly. Gracie felt her head drop to the counter in a mock head-desk situation and groaned.

"What am I going to do with you?" She muttered into the cool surface below her. She missed the shrug that was sent in her direction as Stiles shoved a spoonful of sugar into his mouth, careless of his friend's reaction. After a few minutes of the silence in the room, other than Stiles eating, Gracie lifted her head when she heard the clanking of dishes in the sink. Stiles was tossing his stuff in the sink and looked at her suspiciously.

"You're in an awfully good mood for having just woken up." He was leery of the reasons as to why. She let a smirk cross her features as she folded her hands under her head as she gazed at her friend.

"I received a wonderful call." She teased before sighing dramatically. "You'll never guess who it was from." Stiles lifted his brow as he narrowed his eyes, a small pout on his face.

"Really now?" He leaned forward. "Who was it?"

"Bentley." The blonde gave her answer in a rather sing-song voice. At the mention of her flaming red-head of a cousin over in the UK, Stiles' face lit bright red and he pulled back with a cough, rubbing the back of his neck and looking everywhere except at Gracie. She grinned.

"Oh? And how is Red?" He asked casually, turning around and washing the dishes he had just used. Gracie rolled her eyes, smiling.

"Oh, you know." She shrugged, heading out of the kitchen to check put her shoes on. Stiles followed like a lost puppy, wiping his hands on his pants quickly.

"Did she say anything about me?" He questioned, watching his older friend as she tied the laces to her Converse. She glanced up at him for a moment with a smile.

"Why, Stiles?" She teased once again before tying her other shoe. She stood up straight and watched as the tips of his ears turned red and he glanced around the hall, hands in his pockets as he rocked back and forth on the ball of his feet lazily.

"No reason." He shrugged before turning his eyes back to his blonde friend. She shook her head at him and pulled her bag up onto her shoulder.

"Uh huh. Let's just get to school, lover boy." She cooed as she walked past him and out the door. He gaped after her and sputtered for some words for a moment before slamming the door behind him and running after her.

**[Page Break****]**

Gracie sat her tray down on the lunch table with a resounding 'thunk'. She slid into her seat and stared at her food, glaring daggers into the mush that the district thought to be edible. She glanced to her left and cringed at the sight of Stiles shoving the goo into his mouth off of his own plate and she blinked. Well, okay. The district _and Stiles_ thought it was edible. She sighed and pushed her tray away from her with a groan and buried her face into her arms as she put them at rest on the table. She felt the gaze of the person on her right, but didn't turn to look into the lacrosse players brown eyes.

"You okay, Gracie?" The soft voice of Danny filled her ears. She only let out a groan and buried her face into her arms more. She was getting used to Danny sitting at their table with them, now that Jackson and Lydia did. She didn't have a problem with Danny. Hell, with him being the openly gay kid in school, she respected him.

"No." Her response was muffled by the sleeves of her jacket. She didn't like the attention on her, especially because of the reason for her down mood. She didn't want to seem like an idiot, even if she was one. She didn't want people to _know_ she was incompetent.

"What's wrong?" Scott asked from across the table, situated between Allison and Lydia. He glanced at his friend in concern before reaching his leg out and bumping hers gently, a sign of comfort to the blonde. She lifted her head and blew her blonde hair out of her face and pouted.

"Just math." She let out a sigh as she sat up, running a hand through her bangs. "I didn't… do as well as I wanted to on the test." She muttered with a frown. Do as well as she wanted to? Hell, she did horrible. Of a test out of fifty points, she only got twenty seven. How can someone be so stupid when it comes to geometry? Gracie couldn't think of anyone other than herself that was that retarded. And it bummed her out. Complete understanding washed over Scott's face and Stiles pushed his now empty plate away from him and laid an arm around his female friends shoulder.

"You know. You shouldn't let it get to you." He responded with a grin before leaning closer and speaking quieter so the others wouldn't hear. "You know you can always come to me or Scott for tutoring if it bothers you so much." Gracie shook her head.

"Scott's too busy." She whispered back, noticing how her friend across from her perked up when he caught her words with his enhanced hearing. "I don't want to bother him with this. And you have enough on your plate." She sighed and placed her elbow on the table, her head on her hand. "I can handle it on my own." She bumped her shoulder against Stiles' chest affectionately. He grinned at her before turning his eyes to her plate.

"Are you going to eat that?" He asked, but he already had the tray in front of him and was eating her food. She blinked at him and shook her head.

"Not anymore." She laughed, leaning forward onto the table and listening to the sound of the chatter around them. Soon enough, the bell rang and Gracie found herself walking down the hallway with Scott and Stiles on either side of her. She glanced up at the shaggy haired lacrosse player.

"So. How was your field trip?" She asked in a drawl, curious to know what happened last night with Scott and Derek. Scott glanced at her as they stopped at his locker. He put in the combination and sighed.

"He took me to see his uncle, the one who survived the fire." He whispered, shoving books in the metal container before pulling two more out. "Said that that's what the Argents did to wolves. Hunted them down and killed them, no matter what." He closed the locker a bit violently. "He said that the Argents killed human members of his family." He seethed in a whisper.

"What do you think, Scott?" Gracie questioned, watching her friend as he thought through everything in his head.

"I don't know. But I know Allison wouldn't do that." He was adamant in his beliefs. Gracie smiles slightly.

"Maybe not. But we don't know about the rest of her family. Her aunt did shoot Derek with intent to kill. You should be careful around them." She was quiet as she followed the boys down the hall. Scott scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"You're sounding like Derek." He muttered. Gracie snorted.

"Wrong." She called in a sing-song voice. "He wishes for you to leave them alone period. I merely wish for you to practice your ninja skills as not to get yourself hurt." She paused. "Or anyone else for that matter." She nodded her head in affirmation before shooting them a grin and dashing into her next class.

**[Page Break]**

"So, since the angle of AEB is 139 degrees, the angle of BEC would be 41 degrees because AEC is a straight line. And straight lines are?" A soft Leeds accent filled Gracie's ears as she stared down at the paper that sat on her desk, writing notes down as the feminine voice consumed her. She furrowed her brow slightly and looked up at her computer screen, staring at the red-head that was giving her a small smile and a patient look.

"180 degrees?" She produced hesitantly, still not comfortable with her answers. The red-heads smile grew.

"Yes!" Bentley Dent laughed as her blonde cousin gave a small sigh of relief. The blonde stared at her paper for a moment before speaking.

"And then, since we found that out…" She scribbled down some numbers on the worksheet. "The angle AED would be 41 degrees because it reflects the angle BEC and the angle CED would be 139 because it reflects the angle AEB." She bit her lip as she felt more confidence seep into her system.

"Correct." Bentley's accent responded positively. Gracie let out a breath and leaned back in her chair, adjusting the headset on her head.

"I hate math." She pouted out, as she shoved her now finished worksheet away from her and ran a hand over her face. Her cousin rolled her eyes.

"You always say that." She muttered before being silent for a moment. "Want to Warcraft?" She questioned, already bringing up the game. Gracie let out a nod and brought up her own game.

"I'm playing my priest." She warned her cousin. Bentley scoffed, frowning.

"So you can rage-quit again?" She muttered bitterly, still upset about the last time her cousin just ditched in the middle of the run because she was angry at a member of their group. The blonde scowled.

"No!" She argued defensively before she laughed and rolled her eyes. "Maybe." She responded quietly with a pout. The red-head smirked victoriously and logged into her own Arcane Mage.

"Well, I only have one run in me. It's already five in the morning. I need to get ready for class." She informed her American cousin. The two began a dungeon as Gracie blinked in confusion.

"You're homeschooled, Bentley." She was confused. Bentley scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Please, Gracie. My private tutor is a rather gorgeous college student. I have to plan my outfit every single day for him." She was almost offended at her cousins' lack of understanding. Bentley Dent did not simply lounge around in her pajamas or a simple pair of jeans and a shirt just because she was homeschooled. No, far from it. Bentley Dent wouldn't be caught dead unless she looked her best, glammed up to look like a runway model. If only she could convince her older blonde cousin to take a more active interest in glamming up her own appearance. Then she might actually get laid and learn to calm the hell down.

"I don't understand you, Bentley." Gracie shook her head as she started to heal the rapidly dying tank. The English girl scoffed indignantly.

"Of course not! You have too much testosterone flowing through your system to even know how to apply eyeliner or simply sit with a pair of heels on." She shook her head sadly, wondering where her Uncle Erik and Aunt Alexandra went wrong with their youngest child to make her such an outrageous tomboy. It was offensive to the Dent clan, really.

"I like not being a spoiled brat, Benny. I don't need a mini-skirt and an array of knowledge on fashion and femininity to assure myself that I'm of the female gender." Gracie responded, following behind her group slowly, making sure to keep a safe distance behind so she wouldn't be attacked. Bentley shook her head.

"You're hopeless." She sighed dramatically before sending the final blast at the last boss. Once everyone said their goodbyes and left the dungeon, the two girls logged. Bentley shook her head at the camera on her laptop.

"I'll talk to you later; I need to go get beautiful for my tutor." She turned away for a moment as she rummaged through the lavender jewelry box beside her. Gracie lifted a brow and began to say something when the sound of Adam Levine filled her ears. She glanced down and saw that she had a text from Stiles. She smirked slightly.

"I have to go too. Stiles just texted me." That got the red-heads attention. Her cousin froze with a silver chain in her hands and turned towards her laptop, her gaze on Gracie's.

"Stiles?" She asked innocently, going back to what she was doing slowly. She pulled out a silver-chained necklace that had a pendant shaped like an owl. "Is he well?" She was casual about her interest, but not casual enough.

"He's fine. He asked about you this morning." The red-head turned her head to the computer so fast, Gracie was almost concerned. She had a smile on her face and a faraway look in her eyes.

"Oh? What'd he say?" She leaned forward in interest, her head resting upon her hand. The blonde narrowed her eyes in glee.

"Just wanted to know how you are. I told him you were fine." She read the text which said, 'Call me, wolfy stuff going on.' She bit her lip and felt a desire to speed up her conversation with her cousin. Bentley smiled slightly.

"I need to visit soon. Haven't seen you for nearly two years." She sighed sadly. Gracie smirked, seeing right through her cousin.

"Uh huh. I'll talk to you later." She rolled her eyes.

"G'night, love!" Her cousin's accent filled her ears once more before the call was ended. Gracie shifted her green eyes to her phone. Now she needed to get serious and call Stiles back. Worry was sinking into her bones as she started to dial his number in. She hoped he was okay, and his father. She hoped Scott hadn't gotten into any more trouble, and that the Alpha hadn't done anything too messy. And that Derek was safe too.

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><p><strong>So yeah. That's Bentley. She's crazy. And British. And I apologize for looping in another original character. But come on, guys. If I make an original character like Gracie, she's gonna have family she talks to. JUST SAYIN, YA'LL.<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Yay! Chapter Twelve. xD Man, I have a feeling this story is going to be super long. I hope you guys don't mind! :D I hope you like this chapter as well. There's a short Derek-Gracie scene in here, that I found rather amusing when I wrote it. (As did my kinda-sorta-not-really Beta reader, who, actually, is the inspiration for Bentley. xD) Anyway, if I remember correctly, the next chapter has a pretty hefty Derek/Gracie scene in it. Not like, intense. More like, long? I don't know. I'm rambling. ENJOY.**

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><p>"What happened?" Gracie questioned as soon as Stiles picked up the phone, spinning her chair away from her desk and standing up. She walked over to her bed and pushed the white mass over so she could have room to sit down. The animal merely lifted her head to stare at her owner before she shifted her hips just enough for the blonde to be able to sit down, flicking her tail across her human's thigh. Gracie buried her fingers into the fluff of Yuki's thigh that leaned against her hip and waited for Stiles' response.<p>

"There was another attack. At the video store on Main." Stiles was breathless, and she could hear him rummaging through things on the other line. She glanced at her alarm clock and saw that it was nearly midnight. She blew a raspberry in minor irritation at the time.

"Any casualties?" She flopped back onto her bed, her knees hanging off the end.

"One; the guy working. But Jackson and Lydia were there." He muttered the last part. "I wonder if she's okay…" It was more to himself than to Gracie, and she easily looked over it.

"I don't understand. Do werewolves always kill this much?" She didn't expect Stiles to have the answer, nor did she expect him to respond. He didn't, merely continued what he was doing. "Does Scott know?" She rolled over and came face to face with her dogs' head, her brown eyes open and watching her master in annoyance.

"Yeah. I texted him about it and he said he was there with Derek." Gracie raised an eyebrow.

"So now they're all buddy-buddy?" She snorted slightly, rolling her eyes as she buried her face into the fur of her pet's neck.

"More of a sensei-grasshopper thing." Stiles laughed. "Derek is going to teach him the way of the wolf." There was a pause.

"Just like that?" Her voice was muffled. "No catch?"

"Oh no, there's a catch." Stiles grumbled, flopping himself back onto his bed with a grunt. "Sour wolf wants our buddy to help him find the Alpha." Gracie shrugged.

"That's reasonable." She muttered quietly, closing her eyes.

"Tell me about it." Stiles ran a hand over his face. "But he still scares me." Gracie couldn't help but giggle.

"You're such a baby." She cooed, rolling over and staring at her ceiling. "And I love you, bro. I really, really do. But—"

"You're going to bed." Stiles said with a pout. She smirked.

"Yup." She popped the 'p' loudly. He sighed in response.

"Fiiiine." He whined out. "I'll see you tomorrow." He muttered before hanging up. She turned her phone on silent and tossed it towards her bedside table, watching in horror as it slid off and to the floor. She frowned, but didn't bother getting up to check on it. With a grunt, she turned off her bedside light and quickly fell into a fitful slumber.

**[Page Break]**

Gracie Dent wasn't exactly the best student at Beacon Hills High. Far from it, actually. Her GPA was barely a 3.0, and that was because her parents would incinerate her body if they found anything less than that on a report card. Even though she maintained a B average, she couldn't really say it came naturally to her. She pushed herself, got tutoring when she needed it, she was in resource classes, and refused to step foot in any honors or Advanced Placement class. Learning just didn't come all too well for Gracie, which often led to frustration. And when Gracie Dent was frustrated, she tended to walk away from the situation.

Exhibit A; Miss Dent had just found out that, yes, she could retake that math test that she did horrible on, but she wouldn't be able to do it in enough time for it to improve her grade from the C she had currently before the parent-teacher conferences that were tonight. Math was the only subject she had a C in, and when she found out that news, the blonde was frustrated. So, in true Gracie nature, she found herself picking up her books and removing herself from the situation. She found herself wandering the halls of her school with a frown seemingly permanently pressed into her face. However, what appeared as a frown to her was more of a pout for everyone else.

Due to it being the last hour of the day, none of the minimal amount of teachers in the hallway stopped the blonde in her shuffling trek around the building blindly. That, or else they had just been so used to seeing the girl skip class with little to no other behavioral problems that they would generally let it slide. Or her parents money; mainly it was her parents money.

Closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, she turned the corner to head down to the gym area in hopes to sneak through the last six minutes of PE onto the track. However, her immediate thoughts were pushed out of her mind when she collided with a wall. She rebounded back and opened her eyes, blinking furiously as she brought a hand to her face and rubbed.

"Ahhh!" She cried in a hushed whisper, not wanting to alert anyone. "When did a wall get there?" She cursed through grit teeth and looked up. No, it wasn't a wall. Staring at the smirking male in front of her, Gracie frowned yet again. Definitely not a wall.

"You're not a wall." She spoke her thoughts, this one. Even if they did tend to make her look like she had a slight case of mental retardation. But she didn't care. Not really. The male crossed his arms over his chest, the solid object in which the blonde had just slammed into, and lifted a dark brow. She blinked at him through her glare.

"Do you have a visitors' pass, Sir?" Her tone was awfully professional. "I'm afraid you're not allowed on these premises without one." She brought her hand down from her face and hooked her thumbs on the belt loops of her dark denim jeans. She was greeted with silence.

"Or are you looking for a certain young and dapper werewolf?" She tilted her head, lifting a dark blonde brow. "I hate to inform you, my good sir, but that dapper lupine has left the premises as well. Skipping, that one." She muttered the last sentence through a pout. She found out the hard way that Scott had skipped school during lunch, in which she was left to baby sit the hyperactive Stiles, the rather emotionally isolated Jackson, and the only socially acceptable male in school Danny all on her own. It was tiring, which left her in an already slightly frustrated mood for the news she received in math.

"I was here for another reason." Derek's voice was low, and his gaze was on Gracie's. She nodded at him through narrowed eyes.

"Harassing young men in the locker room?" She questioned, noting that the hallway she had turned down led to the locker rooms and the gymnasium. His eyebrow seemed to arch higher. If he perfected that, Gracie would have to start calling the wolf Spock. She rolled her eyes.

"Whatevs, bro. You can do what you want." She shrugged and started to move past him. She was a couple of feet behind him when he spoke.

"The full moon is coming." Gracie froze, tensing up at the thought. The last full moon, a bus driver was killed, and Scott thought that he had done it. She couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen next and if Scott would continue to blame himself. She pivoted her body and turned sideways to stare at Derek, waiting for him to continue. He was facing her, his sharp gaze pinned her to her spot, and she couldn't look away.

"You should keep your friend on a short leash to prevent any casualties." He wasn't being threatening, nor was he attempting to be intimidating. Merely offering up a suggestion, laced with a warning tone that reminded Gracie of all the things that could possibly go wrong if the Alpha happened to sway Scott more strongly. She tilted her head to the side slightly, lifting a brow.

"I don't think it's appropriate for you of all people to crack a dog reference." She stated, telling him in her own way that she could handle it on her own. The bell rang, signaling the end of school and she sighed, pulling her backpack up higher on her shoulder before glancing behind her at the gym doors.

"Look, I have to get to—"Gracie started, but stopped short when she saw that Hale had already left. She frowned, a real frown and not a pout, and scoffed. "Rude." She spat out, turning on the heel of her Converse and heading down to the girls' locker room to change for track practice. The blonde had a sour expression on her face as she entered the locker room. Practice didn't start for another twenty minute, and the other girls wouldn't start arriving until another ten, but it gave her something to do.

She quickly began to change clothes and had just pulled on her good tennis shoes when her phone vibrated loudly. Her hand shot out and she pulled it up to her ear pressing the accept button.

"Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger. How may I take your order?" She asked with a grunt as she bent over to tie her laces.

"What the hell are you doing?" The accented voice jarred her ears and she blinked, not expecting her cousin to call this late. It was nearly midnight over in Leeds, the redhead should definitely be in bed by now.

"What the hell are _you_ doing? It's nearly midnight over there, right?" Gracie tied her other shoe quickly and stood up, stretching an arm behind her back while keeping the phone pinned to her ear with her shoulder, feeling satisfied when her shoulder popped pleasantly. She sat down on the bench again and stretched her left leg out on it, leaning forward to grasp her shoe with her hand to stretch.

"I'm fully aware." Bentley chortled back bitterly. Her feathers were sure ruffled tonight. "I just know that it's the best time to reach you because it's not too incredibly late my time and you just got out of class." She responded matter-of-factly. She took in a deep breath and let out a sigh.

"That guy? My sexy tutor?" Bentley questioned, hoping her dim-witted cousin remembered their conversation from the night before. Gracie nodded, and then realized that her cousin couldn't see her and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah?" She croaked out, switching legs to do the same stretching process.

"He is a jerk." Bentley growled out. "He told me that, one; I was too young for him. And, two; that I surpass the level he is required to teach and I need a new tutor. So Mum got me a new one and it's a rude old hag." She pouted, not pleased at all.

"Bentley…" Gracie knew it was shaking ground. One wrong word and her cousin would lash out at her. That was Bentley when she was angry, act first think later. She sighed. "You're sixteen, babe." Gracie threw both legs over the edge of the bench and sat up straight. "You don't need to worry about that stupid tutor, or the broad that replaced him." She rolled her eyes slightly. "You have relatively seventy more years ahead of you. Lighten up." Bentley groaned.

"I wish I could teleport you here." She muttered to her older, blonde cousin. Her voice was slightly muffled and Gracie made the assumption that her baby cousin was in bed, burying her face into her pillows in true frustrated Dent fashion.

"I miss you too." Gracie took the comment for what it was meant to be, and smiled. "Practice is going to start soon. I'll keep in more contact, okay?" She stood. She got a small 'mm' in response before the line went dead. She put her phone in her locker. She wasn't offended in the least. Bentley was Bentley. You either take it or leave it. And Gracie definitely took it, as her flame-head of a cousin was one of her closest friends and she loved her dearly, despite the intense teasing at her expense.

With another sigh, Gracie ran a hand over her face and headed out onto the track, ready to start running to relieve some of the tension building on her shoulders.

**[Page Break]**

The blonde junior let out a groan as she dropped the book bag from her shoulders and onto the hardwood floor of her homes entryway. The sight of her father straightening the black tie around his neck brought her crashing down from her running high; parent-teacher conferences were tonight. Her father must've noticed the expression on his daughters face and let out a sigh.

"Your expression tells me I will be disappointed tonight." Erik Dent watched as his daughter scowled at him, kicking her shoes off. She rolled her eyes at him and made her way into the living room, her father following her.

"If your expectations are perfect marks and perfect behavior, then yes." She didn't make eye contact with her father or her mother when she walked into the living room. Her father sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair, looking away from his kin.

"Please tell me you at least have all B's?" He pleaded. Mr. Dent was far from an over-bearing father that would put this much pressure on his children like these. However, the Dent clan was a rather powerful family with factions established in California, Boston, and Europe; with the most prominent members being from the England area. The Dent family as a whole accepted nothing less than B's on grade reports, it was just expected. The older generations of the Dents expected the newest generation to receive flawless marks and then go on to an Ivy League college somewhere around the world in order to join the medical or law field. It was what the Dents were known for; powerful players in the medical industry with a firm hand in law, though their hand in law still focused on medicine as the Dent lawyers worked for the hospitals and companies that the other medical-based Dents owned and operated.

It was a big headache, especially for someone of Gracie's stature who didn't do as well as the elder generation wanted. Granted, her parents didn't mind too much because they will always be willing to support and love their own flesh and blood, but they do want Gracie to do her best in everything she does.

"Technically." The blonde girl replied, lifting her gaze to meet the blue eyes of her mother. "See, what had happened was…" She started and took in a deep breath. "I didn't do too well on a math test we took recently and my grade is a C." Her father furrowed his brows and started to say something, but she jumped in her defense.

"But! Bentley has been tutoring me whenever we both have time! And I can retake the test! And I'm confident I'll be able to raise my grade back to a B, at the least." Gracie bit her lip as she watched her father. He nodded his head, satisfied.

"Any behavioral problems?" Alexandra inquired with a knowing smirk on her face. She knew perfectly well of her daughters prominent flight instincts when she was in a confrontation or frustrated. She knew that her daughter had occasionally skipped a class or school altogether, but she also knew that Gracie always got the work she missed and turned it in immediately. She wasn't running around town doing drugs or getting pregnant or breaking the law, so Mrs. Dent was content with the very occasional skipping session, as long as it didn't become a habit.

"Oh, you know." Gracie waved it off casually. Her father lifted a brow, a smile teasing his lips.

"Well. I'm taking your mother out for a quick dinner before the conferences. They are at seven, yes?" The eldest Dent asked as he checked the Rolex on his left wrist. It was nearly five-twenty by now. Gracie nodded. He took his wife's hand and guided her towards the door.

"If you go anywhere, leave a note." He called as they left the house. Gracie pouted for a moment before she felt pressure pushing down on her shoulders once again. She needed to run; she needed to let it out. Bringing her fingers to her mouth, she let out a loud whistle and seconds later she heard a thud from upstairs and a white mass of fur came running down the steps. Yuki sat down at the foot of the stairs and watched her master with the happiest look on her face, knowing what was coming. Gracie smiled; glad she was still in her track clothes like a bum.

"Come on, Lee." She said in an excited voice as she quoted the movie Rush Hour and headed towards the door. She put her tennis shoes back on with little effort.

"We's gonna go for a run, broski." She cooed to the canine that followed her around. "And it'll be a long one, so pace yo'self!" She warned before opening the front door. Yuki darted out and waited for Gracie to close and lock it behind her before the two took off on a rather familiar path.


	13. Chapter 13

**I think this chapter contains the longest Gracie/Derek scene. GRANTED, nothing romantic. /cough/yet/cough/. But yeah. Currently, I'm working on chapter twenty... and I'm thinking the mid-twenties are when things are going to pick up a bit. Maybe. I don't know. ANYWAY. I hope you guys enjoy this! :D**

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><p>This was what she lived for. Feeling the wind flow through her hair, feeling the earth beneath her sneakers, relishing in the burning sensation in her lungs that reminded her just how alive she was, the tense muscles of her thighs tightening more and more with each move, her abs stinging as the muscle was strained, and the happy albeit tired pants that were directly behind her. This was what Gracie Dent lived for; the run. When the human and her pet entered the tree line of the Beacon Hills Preserve, the blonde smiled when one of her favorite songs came on and resounded through her headphones. She slowed down from her sprint to a jog, then a walk. She moved her head to the beat of Wallpapers' 'Stupidfacedd', before her body started to move to it. The dog started to bark happily and jump around her master, seemingly dancing to the song as well.<p>

This was another thing that Gracie lived for. Bonding; whether it is with a person or an animal, Gracie has come to the realization over time that she has a way of forming strong bonds with those she comes in contact with. She cares about people, sometimes more than she should. It's gotten her into a lot of trouble at times, but she always worked it out.

Grace smiled when the song ended and she bent down onto her knees in front of Yuki. She clapped her hands and the white mass came over obediently. The blonde buried her fingers into her pets' fur and smiled as the animal jumped up and put her paws on her master's shoulders, licking her happily. She laughed and fell back onto her ass and tried to get the excited dog off of her.

"SAFETY TORCH!" Her phone screamed at her suddenly before continuing, "Put it on the porch! It's a SAFETY PORCH!" She shoved Yuki away from her and reached into her pocket before accepting the call from Britain quickly. Bentley only called her this late if she had a nightmare.

"Bee! Are you okay?" She asked worriedly into the phone. A soft laugh greeted her.

"Just a night terror." The red-head responded. A small smile crossed Gracie's lips at the sound of her cousin calling them night terrors instead of nightmares. She loved Britain, they had such cute lingo.

"Wanna talk about it?" She questioned, pulling her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arm around her knees as Yuki lay down in the fallen leaves and snuggled next to her. There was a groan on the other end of the phone, and Gracie took that as a no.

"What are you doing?" Once the Leeds accent translated to American in Gracie's head, she responded with a laugh.

"Sitting in the woods like a crazy person." She stroked Yuki's back. "Yuki's with me." She hoped that the fact that her dog-mate was with her would calm the nerves that she knew were building in her cousin.

"You're in the woods. Father told me that there have been a string of animal attacks over there lately. Do you really think it's wise to be in the woods?" Bentley sounded a bit irritated, and Gracie couldn't really blame her. She had thought of that, she really did. The blonde didn't _want_ to be attacked and killed by the Alpha wolf that was roaming around. But she also wasn't going to put her daily routine on hold just because there was more danger involved in a meaningless task such as running.

Though, Gracie had to admit that she felt safer running in the preserve than she did anywhere else. She knew Derek spent a lot of time at his family's old home, and she knew he would be able to tell if Gracie was in the woods. She hoped that he could sense the Alpha and maybe, just maybe, be able to provide a bit of safety for the blonde. Yeah, that's what it was. Gracie felt safe in the woods because of Derek. Her face flushed slightly and she covered her cheek with her free hand.

"I think I'm probably in one of the safest places in town." She admitted out loud with a slight laugh, a small smile on her face. Bentley let out a scoff.

"I don't suppose there is any logic to your argument, is there?" The red-head questioned, a frown in her tone. The blonde rolled her eyes slightly.

"Probably not." She shrugged and stood up slowly, stretching with a slight groan. She heard her cousin sigh on the other end of the line.

"I'm going to try and go back to bed. I just…" The red-head couldn't finish the sentence. She had no problem sharing her feelings or telling people how she felt, but when it came to her appearing weak in any way, she was always hesitant. Gracie understood exactly what her cousin wanted to say.

"I know." She replied softly, smiling. "Call me if they come back, okay?" She asked softly, starting to walk deeper into the woods with Yuki following her in a trot.

"I will. Love you, Gee." Bentley's voice was thick with her accent, as it was when she was sleepy or upset.

"Love you too, Lee." She hung up after that and put her phone in her pocket. She glanced down at the dog at her side.

"I miss her too, Yuki." She ruffled the dog's head, which earned her a lick. "She's been calling an awful lot more lately." She ran a hand through her hair. "I think her nightmares are coming back in full force." She frowned.

Gracie remembered all the summer visits over to Leeds, or when her family came to California. When Bentley was younger, she went through a pretty rough situation. She was eight and was on her way home from school with the driver and her caretaker at the time. A car slammed into the front end of the car Bentley was in and it turned out to be on purpose, a distraction that ended up killing the driver of the Dent family car so the one who caused the accident could kidnap the young red-head for a hefty ransom.

Bentley was in the custody of one Nolan Gray for nearly two weeks. Gray's wife had died in one of the Dent family's hospitals and he blamed her death on the Dents', instead of the disease that really took his wife. He wanted revenge. So he went after the daughter of Gregory Dent, the head of the Dent family. They got Bentley back safe and sound, and no physical damage was done to the girl. But the mental turmoil was imbedded.

Gracie could clearly recall all the nights she spent at Bentley's bed side as she cried, trying to comfort her cousin. All Bentley could see when she closed her eyes was the car crash and then the gun being pointed at her face. The fear was still real to her, and it caused her cousin to realize just how hard being a Dent could be. Thankfully, Gracie never went through that. Her father wasn't as powerful as his elder brother.

But, dear God, Gracie would trade her life with Bentley's in an instant. If she could go back in time and be the one who got kidnapped instead of her cousin, she would. If she could spare her cousin the tears, the pain, and the fear… she would in a matter of seconds. No hesitation.

Taking a deep breath, Gracie continued her trek into the woods. She didn't want to head back home just yet. Beside her, Yuki froze in a mid-step and perked up. Gracie noticed immediately and blinked, staring at the dog for a moment.

"What, girl?" She reached out, but stopped when she heard a small growl come from her dog. She rarely ever heard Yuki growl, at least one that wasn't exactly playful. And that growl didn't sound playful. She blinked and pulled back, standing up.

"Yuki?" She asked quietly. Suddenly, Yuki darted forward and Gracie was hot on her heels. "Yuki!" She yelled after her white fuzz ball. After ducking under some branches, Gracie watched as Yuki tackled a figure to the ground and began to lick at them like it was the only way she could survive.

"No! Yuki!" Gracie ran over. "Bad dog!" She scolded, moving closer. She stopped when she saw that the person Yuki had tackled was the one and only Derek Hale. And, Gracie's face flushed and she looked away, a shirtless Derek Hale. Suddenly, Gracie snapped her fingers and scowled.

"Platz!" She yelled out into the woods. Yuki immediately stopped her kiss attack on Derek and dropped to lie on her stomach beside him. Gracie snapped her fingers once again and pointed to the ground beside her. Yuki walked over with her ears folded down and sat down obediently. Gracie walked towards Derek as he sat up. He wiped the dog saliva off his face with a scowl. Gracie held her hand out to help him up. As he accepted her hand and she helped hoist him up, she noticed the red marks on his stomach and the fact that he was breathing heavy. Something else was different too. She narrowed her eyes at him and watched him silently as he stood there, eyeing her the same way. Then she realized. There was something different in his eyes. Something she hadn't seen before.

"Are you okay?" She questioned quietly, barely a whisper. But she knew his hearing would catch it. At the sound of hearing her master's voice calm once again, Yuki trotted over and nuzzled her face into Derek's jean-clad leg affectionately. Derek made no move to stop her and seemed to actually relax a bit at the contact. Gracie couldn't help but wonder if it was an animal thing. She arched her eyebrow as she watched Derek. He had yet to respond to her question, and she couldn't help but wonder if he actually heard her. He did look pretty lost in his thoughts.

Hesitantly, she reached forward and placed her hand on his muscular forearm. It seemed to jolt him out of his stupor as well as startle him because the next thing she knew, his eyes flashed ice blue and sharp fangs were jutting from his mouth and she was shoved back a couple paces. A look of fear mixed with hurt filled her eyes as she clutched her forearm, which now had three red lines screaming at her from where his claws scratched her. Realization crossed his face and his eyes went to normal and all his wolf features left. He took a step forward.

"Grace." His voice was deep and had a trace of concern in them, his eyes zeroing in on the scratches. He sighed roughly and ran a hand through his hair, looking away from her. She watched him quietly, her eyebrows furrowed and a frown upon her face. Gracie felt a stinging in her eyes and she began to blink rapidly, feeling the tears build. She didn't want to cry. Not over something like this. They weren't deep, and they weren't bleeding too much. They stung, sure, but it wasn't a reason to cry. She didn't understand. She bit her lip and sniffed when she felt her nose start to run. Derek's green-gray eyes snapped towards her and she looked away quickly, bringing her wrist to wipe at her eyes, which had betrayed her and started to leak the clear fluid.

"I—" Derek started, but didn't really know what to say. He had just made a girl cry. What does one say to make it better? She shook her head.

"No. It's okay." She sniffed again. "I'm just a baby." She muttered with a frown. The sun was starting to go down and it was getting pretty late. She should head home. "I shouldn't have made any sudden movements." Werewolves were dangerous, she thought. Derek was the one that told her that, and now she knew how easily it was for them to hurt someone. Even if it was just a little scratch. He took a step forward again, so close that his body heat was radiating towards her. She started to move back, but his hand grabbed a hold of her wrist quickly and he examined the wound he caused.

"It'll heal pretty quickly." He was quiet, his gaze on the red lines. "I'm sorry." He was even quieter when he said that. She nodded, accepting his apology. She knew it was an accident. He was obviously in La-La Land when she went to touch him. She's thankful that he only scratched her and didn't do any more damage. Because he could have. He could have destroyed her. She shrugged, laughing it off weakly.

"It's my bad. You were obviously somewhere else." She said softly, glancing up at him. "Are you okay?" She inquired. His eyes widened slightly and he shook his head in disbelief.

"I just attacked you, and you're asking _me_ if _I'm_ alright?" He couldn't believe this girl. She shrugged again, pulling her arm from his grasp and rubbing her wound with her hand gently, wincing slightly.

"You looked pretty intense there for a moment." She reasoned, giving a lop-sided smile. "What were you thinking about?" She pestered him gently, not being too demanding about it. They didn't know each other too well. However, she knew that she was the only one being remotely friendly to him, so she was really the only person she knew of that he had to talk to. She didn't mind. She liked being a friend, liked helping people, and liked having a relationship, a bond, with another living thing. He watched her with furrowed brows and his eyes became glazed over once again, as his thoughts drifted off. His pupils started to jump around like he was having an inner conversation with himself.

She didn't pressure him. He would tell her if he wanted to. She gave him a small smiled and turned her body slightly and rubbed her fingers together to get Yuki's attention, who had taken to lying across Derek's feet when he stopped moving. She jumped up and went over to her. She bent down and ruffled the fur on her pet's neck and smiled when she got licks in response. She stood up and decided she should probably head home. But a voice grounded her to her spot.

"My sister." His voice was quiet, his gaze focused on the direction of his house, which was to the east of them. She followed his gaze curiously. They were too far away to actually see his home, so she turned back towards him and was surprised to see his gaze was locked onto hers. She gave him a hesitant smile.

"Oh?" She prodded softly, hoping to encourage him to continue on. He didn't. Her gaze drifted away from his eyes and back to his stomach, where the red marks were slowly going away. She gestured to them with her hand.

"What happened there?" She inquired, curious. His gaze drifted away once again, a deep frown imbedded onto his face.

"Argent." He growled out. She tensed up, her eyes narrowing. She didn't know which Argent he was talking about. Definitely not Allison, she was skipping with Scott today. It could have been Chris Argent, Allison's father. Or Kate Argent, Allison's aunt and, as Gracie found out, the one who had shot Derek a couple days back. She watched as his fists clenched and he closed his eyes tightly, trying to push the emotions out of his head. She took a small step back as she watched him start to wolf out again, but the sound of her stepping on a twig brought his head snapping towards her, his eyes ice blue once again.

They faded to green-gray and he sighed, closing his eyes again and pinching the bridge of his nose. She licked her lips hesitantly.

"Did they attack you?" He nodded at that question. "I see…" She trailed off, pushing her hands under her tank top to rest on her stomach as they started to get chilly. It was weird, she knew it, but it kept her hands warm in the cooling air. She couldn't stop the yawn that escaped her lips, causing her to wrinkle her nose and her eyes to water. She shook her head to try and wake herself up some more.

"But you're okay, right? You'll heal." He opened his eyes and lifted a brow as he took her stance in, his eyes on her hand and her slightly exposed stomach. She shifted uncomfortably, but didn't move her hands because they were too cold.

"I'm fine." He responded curtly, giving a short nod. She rolled her eyes.

"Physically, anyway." She corrected him. "I saw that look on your face. Something happened." She shrugged, not wanting to push it. "You seem like a pretty strong guy, you'll get over it." He watched her quietly for a minute. He took in a breath and ran a hand through his dark hair, not sure why he wanted to tell her.

"The Alpha killed Laura." He informed the blonde. She nodded, feeling slightly bad at the fact that she couldn't have a more emotional response. But she didn't know Laura well, wasn't close to her, so she couldn't find that connection to express a more firm emotion. She took in what he said and thought back to everything that had happened.

"You thought the Argents had killed her." She didn't ask as much as she stated, but Derek nodded anyway, confirming her thoughts. She bit her lip and nodded her head awkwardly.

"I guess that means you want the Alpha dead more than ever now, huh?" She questioned, watching as Derek clenched his fists. He looked away from the younger blonde as his eyes started to change colors in his anger. She blew air out of her mouth and brought one of her hands out from under her shirt to run it through her long blonde hair.

"That's understandable." Her words caused him to glance at her, to relax. She thought back to Bentley, her eyes glazing over slightly as a smirk crossed her feature without her knowledge.

"If someone ever hurt my family, I would want to use all of the power inside myself to make sure that person felt the same amount of hurt they caused, if not more." She spoke the truth. To this day, Gracie still has a deep seated hate for Nolan Gray and the pain he's caused her cousin. He's in jail still, had a ten year sentence. He had two years left to serve. And if Gracie ever happened upon him… she didn't know what she would do. She knew she wanted to attack him, to hurt him just like he hurt her baby cousin. But she didn't know if she had the heart for it, didn't know if she could be that vindictive. The male in front of her tilted his head slightly, catching her attention. Her eyes focused on him and she felt her pupils dilate when her mind was fully out of the haze she had dove into. She felt a bubbling in her stomach that she couldn't identify, something she hadn't felt before. She watched as Derek shifted slightly, his pupils retracting to small dots and his eyes flashing blue for a split second as he took in a deep breath to calm himself down. It didn't seem to work because he let out a groan and clenched his fists.

Gracie wanted to move, wanted to head home. But she couldn't, not with him looking at her like that. She took in a shaking breath, watching as he lifted his head into the air and seemingly sniffed. He literally sniffed the air. He let out a rather low growl from deep in his chest and the blonde felt the feeling she felt grow stronger, the bubbling feeling spread and she felt her body tingle slightly. His eyes were blue once again as he glared her down. She couldn't move. But she could talk.

"I should go home." She whispered into the darkening woods. Between them, Yuki had stood up and started to whine slightly, seemingly feeling the building tension between the two of them. Gracie stop as her eyes traveled from Derek's eyes, over his defined jaw and stubble, to his broad shoulders. Then they went over his chiseled chest and abs. The bubbling lurched forward and she let out another shaky breath, closing her eyes and clenching her fists. Not being able to see the object of her new found emotion caused her to calm down. She shook her head.

"It's late." She opened her eyes once again, and blinked when she saw that the werewolf was gone. Panicking slightly, she turned around to look for him, her hair whipping around her as she tried to catch a glimpse of his retreating form. There was no use, she couldn't really see very far anymore due to the darkness. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, focusing her gaze on Yuki.

"What the hell just happened, googie?" She questioned her pet. When Gracie was younger, she called dogs 'googie' instead of 'doggie' and it just stuck, even now. She shook her head once again and began her trek towards the highway. She knew where she was in the woods, and the exit by the highway was closer than the way she entered. She could just follow the highway up a mile or two to get back to her house. No biggie.

It only took her a couple of moments to reach the pavement and she reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone. She really didn't want to walk home right now. She tried Tyler's phone first, but it went straight to voicemail. That meant he was studying. She continued walking, Yuki trotting along in the dirt beside her happily, and tried Stiles' number. He didn't answer either. That worried her. Stiles always answered his phone. Something was wrong. She felt panic seep into her veins and she bit her lip. She tried to call Scott to see if he had his phone on, but it went straight to voicemail. She let out a small cry from her throat. She tried Stiles again, but no answer. She let out a frustrated scream and thrust her arm back to throw her phone, when her ringtone filled her ears. Quickly, she brought it to her ear.

"Stiles? Stiles! Jesus! Why haven't you been answering? What's going on?" She knew she sounded like a paranoid, overreacting creeper, but she didn't care. Stiles _always_ answered the phone. And he didn't answer his phone, _twice_. There was a shaky breath on the other end of the line.

"My dad's in the hospital. He got hit by a car at the school." Stiles was going to say more, but Gracie was already in panic mode. She felt her heart-rate quicken and tears form in her eyes.

"What?" She practically screamed, putting a hand in her hair. "Jesus! Is he okay? He's okay. He has to be okay! Shit! I'm on my way now! Jesus!" She didn't know how to handle this shit. Stiles started to talk.

"Gracie! He's fine! He's just—" But she hung up on him. She started to jog down the side of the highway. She had a while to go to get to town, and then she would have to go to her house to put Yuki up and catch the keys to her Altima. She winced as she felt a burning sensation in her legs as she started to sprint instead of jog. She was stretching her limitations today. During track practice, she knew she had to have run two miles straight on, and jogged another two. Then the run she went on after school was nearly two miles. Her body was starting to fight back at the over-use it was undergoing.

She had been running for nearly five minutes when she saw headlights coming down the road. She didn't think anything of it, but she slowed down to a jog so the car could actually see her and not accidentally hit her. There didn't need to be another accident today. The car seemed to slow down when the lights hit her and then, it suddenly jerked over and stopped in front of her. It was a very familiar car. A black 2010 Chevy Camaro. The window rolled down quickly and Derek leaned over slightly. He was now clad in a shirt and his leather jacket.

"Get in." He demanded. She blinked slightly, but the growl that followed caused her to move. She opened the door and let Yuki jump in before she got in and buckled up. Derek then took off in the direction he was coming from.

"How did you know?" She didn't understand how he knew she needed a ride. His eyes were on the road as he drove.

"I could hear your heartbeat all the way back at the house." He shook his head, glancing at her momentarily before going back to the road. "It wasn't natural. Faster." He shifted gears as he picked up the speed. She gripped the edge of her seat as the adrenaline flowed through her veins. She had never been in a car that was going over seventy miles. She was lame like that. And Derek's car was the definition of fast and sexy. She laughed weakly, glancing at him.

"So you're saying you know what my heartbeat sounds like most of the time." She tried to joke to calm herself down. "I don't know if I should be flattered or creeped out." She admitted, running a hand through her hair

"I need you to take me home." She glanced back at Yuki. "Sorry that your car might get a bit messy." She nodded back to her. Derek shrugged, not really caring as he swerved around another car to get in front of it. When they hit the edge of town, he slowed down significantly. She waited until they got close to a street he needed to turn down and spoke.

"Take a left—" She was interrupted.

"On Wilson, I know." He took a left on Wilson. She eyed him for a moment, and then it registered.

"You know where I live." She stated. He shifted, but didn't deny it. He took a right on the street he needed and Gracie let out an incredulous laugh before shaking her head. "I'll be damned." She muttered as he pulled over in front of her house. She glanced at him hesitantly.

"Thanks…" He nodded in response. When she opened her door, she was trampled by Yuki as she jumped out of the car first. The human grunted in response and glared at the dog. "Rude." She spat out, flicking the dogs ear as she panted happily. Derek watched her.

"You'll get to the hospital faster if I take you there." He reasoned. She turned towards him and blinked.

"How—" She shook her head. "I'm just not going to question it anymore. I'll be back." She got out and closed the door behind her before running to the front door of her home.

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><p><strong>I feel like I keep breaking character for Derek... I'm trying really, really hard to keep him as he is. Tell me if I'm doing good? ;D<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**This has a bit more Derek/Gracie. But not a lot, I guess. Oh well. I hope you guys like it!**

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><p>The blonde worked quickly in her house. She let Yuki inside and slammed the door behind her. Her parents were home and they watched her as she quickly gave Yuki more water and fresh food. She ran past them and upstairs. She quickly got out of her sweatpants and tank top and switched into a pair of jeans, a light blue t-shirt that screamed 'wear me' at her, and her black jacket. She kicked her track shoes off and cursed out loud when she realized she had tracked dirt into the house. She would get it later; she had bigger things to worry about. She pulled on a pair of her Chucks and ran back down the stairs. She went by her father, but he grabbed her arm gently.<p>

"Hey. Where's the rush?" He asked, confused at his daughters panicked behavior. She shifted.

"Mr. Stilinski got hit by a car at the parent teacher conferences! I'm going to the hospital to check on him and Stiles. Her father nodded, worry etched into his face. He and his wife were decent friends with the Sheriff, often having to patch him up in the past whenever the man got injured on duty. Her mother came up and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We saw it, sweetie. He should be fine. A car backed into him roughly. He should be out tonight." She tried to comfort her daughter, but she shook her head rapidly.

"No! I have to go check on him! The last time someone said that, someone died!" She spat, thinking back to several years back, when Stiles' lost his mother. The adults all told Gracie and Stiles, 'she'll be alright' or 'it'll be okay', but it wasn't. The blonde had to make sure for herself.

"Go, Gracie." Her father spoke up, gesturing towards the door. "Take your time." She nodded and opened the door. "Your keys?" He asked, picking up the metal objects and dangling them. She shook her head.

"I have a ride." She said quickly. "I'll be home later. Love you, bye!" She yelled as she closed the door and ran down the pathway to the sidewalk. She quickly got back inside the Camaro and buckled up. Derek peeled off and towards the direction of the hospital. He didn't really know why he was giving her a ride, but he was.

With a deep sigh, Gracie sunk into the seat and tapped her foot on the floorboard impatiently. They made it until the hospital came into view and Gracie leaned forward. They were pulling in to the circle drive of the ER when she unbuckled her seatbelt. She turned her body to Derek, who was watching her. She smiled.

"Thank you. Seriously." She laughed slightly. He nodded with a small twitch of his mouth. She went to open the door and froze over the handle. She bit her lip and glanced back at him.

"Hey. Uhm..." She paused before sighing, sucking it up. "I know I'm probably asking a lot of you… But do you think that, maybe, you could help Scott control his wolf?" She was quiet in asking. She glanced up at him. "I know you're the only one around who could help him and be willing. And I don't know if he'll actually flat out ask for help, or if he already has. But as his friend, I would appreciate it if you could help coach him along." She finished her favor and watched as Derek's gaze drifted from her eyes to her lips when she licked them, a nervous habit she had.

"I planned on it." The sound of a car horn blaring behind them caused Gracie to turn her head and peer out the back window of the Camaro, a glare on her face.

"Dicks." She cursed, opening the door. She stuck one foot out and faced Derek once again, a smile on her face.

"I know you're not doing it for me, and I don't expect you to. But I just thought you should know that I really do appreciate it. All I want is Scott to be able to live safely with what he is, you know?" She questioned, wondering if Derek understood. He nodded and she laughed, shaking her head. The car behind them honked once again, but longer this time. Anger flashed across Gracie's face and she got out of the car.

"Motherfucker, I swear to God!" She spat out at the car. She rolled her eyes and turned her gaze back to Derek.

"Thanks again." She smiled, a sudden mood change coming over her as she closed his door gently. The car behind them blared their horn for the third time and Gracie turned, giving them a glare.

"You got a problem? Come at me bro!" The car only honked in response and Derek shook his head, driving off. The car that was behind them simply drove through, not dropping anyone off or anything. She flipped the car off as it drove by and ran a hand through her hair as she spat obscenities out of her mouth.

"Fucking dicks." She spat, turning sharply on her heel and dashing into the emergency room. She went up to the nurse behind the counter and gave her best smile, earning one in return.

"May I help you?" The nurse asked politely. Gracie eyed her nametag. Tabitha. She smiled brightly.

"Yes. I'm here to see Sheriff Stilinski. His son called and informed me that he was in the hospital." Nurse Tabitha brought up a file on the computer and shook her head with a small frown.

"I'm sorry, this says family only. If you aren't a family member, I'm afraid I can't let you go back." She did sound genuinely upset. Gracie sighed and ran a hand through her hair, turning away from the desk for a moment before leaning against the counter again.

"Is there a Grace Dent on the visitor list?" She asked, Tabitha's eyes lit in recognition at her last name and she hesitated for a moment.

"Dent, as in Gregory Dent?" The nurse questioned softly. Gracie nodded. Her uncle owned this hospital, while her father was the best surgeon in the joint.

"Yes. He's my uncle. Erik Dent is my father." More recognition flashed in the nurses eyes and she grabbed the radio next to her, calling the security to come take the blonde back.

"Security will be here soon to escort you back." She smiled, Gracie smiled back as well. She waited patiently, tapping her foot on the ground in a rhythm and perked up when the doors to the back opened. She arched a brow at the man that walked towards her.

"Well, if it isn't the littlest of the Dent family!" The security guard grinned. She shook her head softly.

"It's nice to see you too, Zack. But I need to see the Sheriff." She moved past him and into the backroom, having him follow her the entire time. He shrugged and stuck his hands into his pockets. Sometimes she hated the fact that she knew nearly everyone in the hospital, well… that nearly everyone in the hospital knew of _her_.

"He's in room 102. Go on back, kiddo." Zack the Security Guard ruffled her hair and she glared at him, fixing her hair before heading back to the room. She knocked softly and heard Stiles yell a 'come in', and she quickly dashed in and closed the door behind her. She turned around and saw Sheriff Stilinski sitting in the bed with a frown on his face, and Stiles in the seat next to him peering at Gracie.

"Mr. Stilinski!" She gushed before dashing to his side. She hovered over him like an overprotective mother as she checked him to any cuts and bruises. He fought her off much like a child would and scoffed.

"Jesus, Gracie. I'm fine!" He laughed when the girl pouted and plopped down into the chair on the other side of his bed, across from Stiles. She groaned and folded her arms on the side of his bed, resting her head on her arms.

"Thank God." She breathed out. "I was super worried about you!" She frowned as she glared at Stiles. He lifted his hands in defense.

"I told you he was fine!" He argued, she sighed and nodded.

"So did mom and dad. But you know me. I still panic." She laughed as she scratched the back of her head casually. The Sheriff laughed at Gracie's comment and gave her a smile.

"So what exactly happened tonight?" She cast a furrowed glance at the Sheriff. He shifted in the bed, wincing slightly.

"The conferences were over and everyone was heading home. But there was a disturbance." The Sheriff paused. "The mountain lion was at the school." Gracie glanced over at Stiles, who didn't look phased so she assumed he already heard the story. "People panicked and someone backed up into me." Gracie bit her lip slightly.

"You sure it was a mountain lion?" She questioned softly. She was fearful that it could've been the Alpha, which could have exposed the growing werewolf community in Beacon Hills, and she was hopeful it was the Alpha, which would mean Scott could be free to live in peace. She ignored the sharp look that Stiles sent her way and focused her green eyes on the Sheriff. He nodded, giving her one of those I'm Pretty Damn Sure I Know What I Saw, Why Are You Questioning Me looks.

"Is it still out there?" She was honestly surprised that there really was a mountain lion on the loose.

"Chris Argent killed it." Gracie's brows rose up. She shared a look with Stiles and nodded, biting her lip.

"Good." She put on a smile for the Sheriff. "Now we can all let out a breath of relief." She lied straight to the Sheriff's face, and she felt horrible. He nodded back at her. She spent the next hour with him and Stiles, finding out that he only had a bit of bruising and would be released tomorrow morning. She planned on staying longer, but Zack the Security guard told them that non-family members should probably be heading home, since it was three hours past the acceptable time for visiting hours. She sighed as the security guard left and stood up, stretching.

"Well, I guess I should head home." She shoved her hands in the pocket of her pants, a crooked smile on her face. "Could I get a ride home, bro?" She sent a pouty face at Stiles. He blinked at her.

"You don't have your car?" He was surprised, but was already getting up and grabbing his keys. She shrugged the comment off. He gave her the stink eye and she rolled her own green ones.

"How'd you get here?" He demanded with a pout. She had the same response, a shrug. The Sheriff laughed. She turned towards him.

"I'm gonna crash at your place. Make sure you're all good and settled in back at home before I head out." She walked over to him and placed a kiss on his cheek. "You get to feeling better, okay?" Her best friends' father nodded his head with a grin before he settled more comfortably into the uncomfortable bed. She turned and followed her BFF out the door and down the hallway. They were walking out of the hospital when he asked her again.

"How did you get here?" He unlocked his Jeep and waited for her to get in before doing the same. She pulled the seatbelt over her chest and locked it into place with a grunt.

"Derek Hale." She shrugged. He gaped at her. "I didn't want to say anything in front of your dad. You know, previous suspect in a murder case giving his like-a-daughter-figure a ride to see him, the man that tried to put him in jail due to the evidence found by said like-a-daughter-figure, son, and best friend." Her voice was surprisingly monotone when she spoke and Stiles still gaped at her. She blinked.

"You going to start the car, broseph?" She prodded as she jabbed his bicep with her pointer finger. He blinked and turned his head forward and started the Jeep. He pulled out of the parking spot and headed towards his house.

"I can't believe you let a _werewolf_ give you a ride to the hospital!" He exclaimed. "Especially Derek! He could be a murderer, Gee!" She scoffed, burying her hand in her hair as she leaned against the window.

"No, I think not." She rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure it's the Alpha running around killing all the things." She muttered. Stiles let out a disgruntled sigh.

"I don't like him Gracie." He muttered through a pout, glaring at the road. "You shouldn't trust him." She blinked and let out a short laugh that directly translated to 'I can't freaking believe you right now'.

"Why not, Stiles? What, exactly, has he done to warrant that?" She asked, turning to face him. She brought her leg up and folded it underneath her. He shook his head.

"For one, he's a werewolf—" He was cut off.

"Scott's a werewolf." Gracie argued. Stiles shook his head in frustration and moved on.

"He could have killed his sister." She curled her lip at that.

"He didn't kill her." She said adamantly. He glanced over at her, surprised at the firm tone she used. He blinked, and then realization crossed his face.

"Just how much time have you spent with Hale?" He gripped the wheel angrily as he pulled over in front of his house. The blonde unlocked her seatbelt and threw it off of her, getting out and slamming the door.

"What are you talking about?" She demanded angrily, not sure where this was going. He let out a scoff and spaz-attacked for a moment before crossing his arms and glaring at her.

"You're _so sure_ that Derek is innocent in all these. You have to have been with him to develop such an _interest_." Stiles sounded bitter, and Gracie wasn't happy with it. She pulled her head back and allowed her brows to rise.

"Okay, bro." She took in a deep breath. "I've had a few encounters with the dude, but that's just because I run in his general area. And I always have." She paused for a moment. "I'm not about to put my routine on hold just because there's some psycho as were-freak running around killing things, Stiles! I will still run! And I will run the same Goddamn trail I run every Goddamn time I want to run!" She took a step forward. "And that's through the preserve, where Derek just so happens to be residing currently. You got me? I've talked with him when I've encountered him. I've associated with him." She shook her head, closing her eyes.

"He's not a bad guy, thus far. He hasn't _hurt_ anyone. He hasn't attacked us, and we know about him being a wolf. Haven't you noticed that he's been trying to _help_ us?" She flailed her arms. "He's the one who told us not to let Scott play. Because he could _hurt_ people. He told us to watch our backs around Scott. Because he could _hurt_ us. He told me to take precautions around the time of the upcoming full moon. Because Scott could _hurt _us. He told me he's going to help Scott control his inner wolf. Because Scott could _hurt _us!" She ended up yelling by the last of her speech, her fists clenched at her sides.

"You can dislike him all you want, Stiles. But face the facts; he's trying to help us. And he's the only freaking person in this town that _can_ help Scott." She whispered softly, sighing. "I know you think you can. And I know I think I can. I _want_ to help Scott, and you _want_ to help Scott. But we just can't understand what he's going through like Derek can." She shook her head, watching her friend. He listened quietly throughout her rant, taking it all in. He furrowed his brows slightly, his chocolate brown eyes pinned to her green ones. There was a trace of confusion on his face, and then a small smile quirked at his mouth as his eyes brightened up. It was like he just realized something so obvious for the first time. He laughed softly.

"I understand now." He nodded his head, smiling slightly. "I get it, Gracie." He walked towards his friend and pulled her into a tight hug. Confusion washed over the girl and she furrowed her brows, her mouth open slightly as she hugged him back hesitantly.

"What?" She asked, pulling away from him after a minute. "Just like that I changed your mind?" She never knew Stiles to give in so easily. He blinked at her, and then realized that, yes; his friend really was that stupid. He sighed and ran a hand over his face, laughing to himself.

"Nevermind, Gracie. You'll find out soon enough." He patted her on the shoulder and headed towards his front door. She stood on the sidewalk, staring out into the road for a minute, her mouth flopping open and closed like a fish before she turned around, flailing her arms.

"Wait! What do you mean?" She ran up to the door. "Stiles!" She cried as she dashed into the house behind her friend. She wasn't aware of the creature watching them in the thicket of trees and brushes across the street to Stiles house. She wasn't aware of the growling beast that had been on her trail since the hospital. She definitely wasn't aware of the ice blue eyed reflection that stood out in the darkness every time a car passed by.

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><p><strong>Stalker!Derek whut? MAYBE. Okay. Yeah. He is. BUT! It'll be explained later. So yeah. Uhm. I'm a horrible person. BYE GUYS.<strong>


	15. Chapter 15

**This chapter gave me a hell of a hard time. It really did. I hate this chapter. That's all I have to say.**

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><p>The following morning, Gracie was sleeping rather peacefully on the Stilinski households' couch. She felt guilty after her rant against Stiles last night, as well as incredibly confused by some of his commentary. What was she supposed to find out? Should she already know it? Was it important? She didn't like important things that she should know when she doesn't. She generally ends up looking like a fool when she found out what it was.<p>

It was that confusion that caused her to, surprisingly, allow Stiles to sleep in his own bed. She took the couch. The night before when she was cuddling into the soft cushions and sighing in content every five minutes as her body got toasty warm underneath the heavy navy blanket Stiles had given her, she had wondered to herself why she never slept on the couch. It was a nice couch, she had to admit. Comfortable in all the right places, plush and warm. Perfect, like a cat.

It was at eight in the morning when Gracie remembered just why she hated sleeping on that couch. She heard Stiles creak down the creaky stairs and creak into the creaky kitchen and clang around the dishes for some clangy cereal. She groaned loudly in sadness. She didn't want her sleepy time to be done yet. But she felt the blissful dreaming state fly away from her when the creaky creaks got closer to the couch she was burying her face into.

She rolled over to look up at the individual that she could feel peering down at her discontent form, and realized too late that she was indeed on a small couch and not in Stiles' larger bed. Her body came into contact with the hardwood floor with a loud, resounding thud. The snicker behind her informed her that Stiles had in fact been watching her and had enjoyed her moment of misery and pain. She let out a dramatic, fake cry as she tried to bury her face into the floor to no avail. She lifted her head up slightly and glared at the teenage boy that was hovering over her.

"Have a nice fall, Gracie?" Stiles teased with a smirk directed down at his friend. The blonde narrowed her eyes and placed a hand on the couch to get up. She grunted when her tired limbs didn't do much and sat on the ground, giving Stiles a look that clearly stated Please Assist Me, Best Friend Ever. He bit his lip and had an inner argument with himself, but took the bait. He walked around the side of the couch and, just as he was going to grab her arm to help her up, Gracie shot her hand forward and grabbed his ankle and tugged as hard as she could. He cried out as he crashed onto the ground next to her, releasing a groan of pain. The blonde perked up with a grin on her face, feeling content with life at the moment, and let out her best evil cackle. Stiles pouted as she stood up, but accepted her hand when she offered to help him up.

"I'm hungry, Best Friend." She whined out as she shuffled her way into the boys' kitchen. She quickly went about her business of stealing a bowl of Stiles' Lucky Charms before sitting down at the table. Stiles sat across from her with a pout and spooned his food into his mouth. A few bites into her cereal, Gracie discovered that it was incredibly hot in the Stilinski household. This, of course, was most likely because the heat had kicked on a few minutes ago, she had just emerged from her cocoon of warmth, and she was still wearing her semi-thick jacket from last night. She swiftly took care of the problem by removing the jacket before continuing her eating. The rest of breakfast was done in silence until the two ended up sitting there alone, blinking tiredly at one another. It wasn't awkward. Just tired.

"What time does your dad get out?" She questioned as she rubbed at her eye tiredly, still trying to wake up. Stiles blew air out of his mouth as he leaned back in his seat.

"Like, noon." He responded with a small sigh. She nodded her head before glancing back into the living room.

"Wanna play Black Ops?" She lifted her brows suggestively, causing him to grin.

"Oh yeah." He was the first on in the living room. He was sitting down and already at the main screen by the time Gracie was sitting next to him on the couch. Once her gamertag was recovered on his Xbox and they were logged in, he started a match online. When Gracie went to her custom classes, Stiles glanced over at her for a moment to watch her to it, but his eyes focused in on something else. Three bright red lines that caused fear to shoot through his body.

"Gracie?" He whispered softly, his eyes not moving from the injury. The blonde let out a small 'mm' in response, wanting him to continue on. When her friend didn't, she glanced over at him in irritation with an eyebrow lifted expectantly. When she noticed that his gaze wasn't on her, she followed it to her left arm, where the claw marks from last night were clearly visible. She bit her lip and turned towards the television again.

"Oh." Was all she was able to get out at the moment. She was quiet for a while before she let out a nervous laugh and glanced at her bare left wrist as if there was a watch there. "Oh, look at my wrist. I have to go." She started to stand up, but Stiles' hand shot out and grabbed her arm and pulled her back to the couch. She sat down obediently.

"Just what were you and Derek doing last night before he brought you to the hospital?" He inquired. She pouted her lips and blew air out of her mouth, indicating she wasn't too interested in the turn in conversation.

"I startled him, Stiles, that's it." She stated firmly. Stiles let out a scoff and rolled his eyes.

"You _startled_ a werewolf?" He shook his head. "He hurt you Gracie, and you'll still trust him?" Her grip on the controller tightened and she turned her body to face him.

"Look." She started shortly. "He was distracted when I came across him in the woods during my run. Something had happened at his house, and I'm not entirely sure what. But I could tell it was messing with his mind." She sighed, closing her eyes. "He didn't respond to me verbally, so I touched his arm. He panicked and this happened." She opened her eyes, looking straight into his brown eyes. "He didn't attack me. He pushed me away and he claws happened to catch my skin. It's shallow. It'll heal. It was an accident." She lifted a brow at her friend, waiting to see if he argued back. Stiles opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.

"He apologized, so it's over." She turned back to the game and started it up. Stiles kept his mouth quiet about Derek for the rest of Gracie's time there, only talking about video games and celebrities they would bang. Typical conversation for the two of them.

Then eleven rolled around and they shut the game off. Stiles gave Gracie a lift back to her house before he went to go pick his dad up from the hospital. Home alone, she found herself in a terrible situation. She was bored. Better yet, she was a bored teenager. She didn't want to bother Stiles, because she knew he was going to be fussing over his dad all day. She also knew her brother would still be studying for a test he had this Monday. Her parents were both at work. And Scott, well… she could call him, but he was probably with Allison.

The blonde stared at her phone for a couple of minutes in contemplation before she rolled her eyes and pressed four on her speed-dial. She brought the phone up to her ear and spun in her desk chair as she waited, staring up at the ceiling. It rang four times before she started to give up. Just when she was going to pull the phone away to hang up, a voice answered.

"He's busy." She lifted a brow and stopped her spinning. That was not Scott. Or Allison for that matter. She blinked and confusion crossed her face.

"Derek?" She asked, wrinkling her nose up as she tried to figure out why he answered Scott's phone. There was silence on the other end, she laughed. "Did you kill him, or what?" She leaned back in the chair, pulling her knees up to her chest as she focused her gaze on the Powerpuff Girls poster in her room. There was silence again. She rolled her eyes.

"Riiiight." She said with a drawl. "Anyway, you continue training the little pup. I'm just bored." She paused. "Hey, can I come watch?" She asked curiously. Watching Scott get the crap beat out of him might satisfy her boredom. There was a short laugh on the other end of the phone and a curt, "No." She pouted.

"Well, that's rude. Fine. Have him call me back later. And if he doesn't call me back, I'll hunt you down and shove wolfsbane down your throat." She hung up and sat her phone on her desk before going back to spinning. She often spun in her desk chair, as it was an unusual source of great amusement for the blonde. But then again, it really didn't take much to occupy her. For the next couple of hours, Gracie found herself fighting a whirlwind of boredom. She had a love-hate relationship with the weekends. She loved the fact that she wasn't in school for two days, but she hated the fact that she never had anything to do.

Her eyes narrowed at the computer screen before her as she waited impatiently for the game in front of her to download. She tapped her fingers to a random beat on her desk while her head rested in her other hand. The sudden "Do-do-do" of a Skype call resounded in the headset wrapped around her neck. Catching sight of a red-heads face, she pulled her headset up and clicked accept. She suppressed a groan when she noticed it was a video call instead of a regular voice chat.

"You look amused." Bentley noted, her accent thick at the moment. Gracie rolled her eyes as she watched the download bar instead of Bentley's unimpressed facial features.

"Mm." She groaned in response. "Waiting." She informed shortly. Bentley let out a rather feminine snort, something Gracie had yet to perfect.

"Very talkative." The redhead responded as she leaned forward to do something on her own computer.

"Sorry. I'm full of the boredom right now." Gracie grinned as her download finished and started to log into the new game she installed. Bentley arched an eyebrow, recognizing Gracie's facial expression.

"What game did you download?" The sixteen year old questioned as she brought up World of Warcraft on her own computer. It was crazy how similar the two girls were, and how different. Both of them had an affection for video games, anime, cartoons, musicals, internet memes and sarcasm. But Gracie was a tomboy with a goof-ball attitude whereas Bentley was a girly-girl with a 'better than thou' attitude.

"Minecraft." She older of the two responded with a grin as she immediately set out into the Minecraft world to make weapons and tools to build a house for safety.

"Lame." Bentley scoffed shortly. She started to tap on her keyboard once her WoW session started to pick up.

"So. What's up?" Grace asked her younger cousin, hoping to strike up some conversation for a while.

"Not much. Winding down from a day with the new tutor." Bentley spun a finger in the air in mock enthusiasm. Grace laughed shortly.

"Fun, fun." Bentley shook her head at Gracie's words.

"Not really! He's ridiculous!" She pouted. "He's making me write an eight page paper on the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly." The blonde blinked.

"That ain't even possible." She shook her head. She caught the sharp look Bentley sent her.

"'That isn't even possible', Gracie." Bentley corrected her. The blonde grinned, not really caring. "Grammar is sexy." The redhead shrugged with a grin.

"Only when you're the grammar Nazi correcting me, sweet-thang." The blonde teased.

"Hold on, I can't hear you." Bentley grinned. "Let me turn down my awesomeness." The blonde laughed at that.

"Lame!" She sung happily. The two laughed at one another before settling into their routine of playing games and idly chatting back and forth with one another. Until two o'clock rolled around for Gracie and she heard Bentley yawn. It was ten o'clock over there in Britain.

"Okay, sweet-cheeks. It's time for you to go to bed." Gracie stated with a grin. The redhead groaned out for a moment before nodding at her older cousin.

"Kayyy." She sighed before closing out everything except Skype. "I'll talk to you later, love you." Gracie nodded.

"Love you too, Bee." Gracie replied before their call ended. She pulled her headset off of her head and tossed it onto her desk. Her gaze shifted to her phone and she pouted. It had been two and a half hours since she called Scott, and he still hadn't called back. Mentally cursing Derek Hale for not relaying her message, she reached for her phone and dialed Scott's number.

She tensed when she heard the sound of a phone ringing behind her. She blinked and lowered her phone, turning around slowly. Half-way through her window with a rather guilty expression on his face was the one and only Scott McCall. With a yell of rage, Gracie threw her phone onto her bed and lunged at Scott. He cried out when he body collided with the floor.

"Gracie! No! Stop!" He cried out, flailing about to get the blonde woman off of him. But her grip was like steel and she locked one of her arms around his neck and started to hit him blindly with her free hand.

"Why would you do that?" She demanded, giving him a good, hefty punch before shoving him away from her. "You scared the shit out of me!" She yelled, glaring up at her lacrosse-star friend, who was rubbing his arm with a look of hurt on his face.

"Hey, man! That really hurt!" He whined out, lifting up his sleeve to watch the bruise that had formed fade into nothing. He was still pouting when his eyes shifted back to his blonde friend. She huffed slightly and stood up.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, lifting a brow at him. He grinned at her and shrugged.

"I have to run to the store for my mom… Derek said you called. Figured I could take you with me." He responded with a shrug. Gracie arched her eyebrow.

"You mean, you wanted to use me as a tool for transportation because your mom wouldn't let you use the car, right?" She crossed her arms over her chest. He laughed nervously, confirming her statement. She nodded her head.

"Mkay. I need to get some stuff anyway." She grabbed her phone off of her bed and headed out of the door. Scott followed her down the stairs and waited in the main hallway as she put her shoes on, grabbed her keys, and tugged her jacket onto her shoulders. Gracie was the first one out of the door and she locked it behind them before she tossed Scott her keys. He blinked, but caught them dutifully, the same dumbfounded expression on his face. She grinned at him, walking over the other side of her car.

"You're driving, idiot." She shook her head at him as she watched his face light up into a grin and they both got into the car.

**[Page Break]**

The two spent nearly forty-five minutes in the store while Gracie tried to find all things blue raspberry flavored. She was successful in getting a pack of Jolly Ranchers, which unfortunately came with other flavors than her favored blue, and a gallon of blue raspberry flavored juice. When the two of them were heading out the door, a candy shelf that the two had passed up caught Gracie's attention.

"Heyy! You go ahead, I'm going to go check those candies for blue raspberry!" She informed Scott. He blinked at her and shook his head.

"I don't understand your obsession." He admitted, taking the keys that she was holding out to him.

"No one ever does." Gracie said with a dramatic sigh of false sadness. He laughed at her before she made her way to the candy. She had to admit, she was very pleased about the almost-hour she spent with her bestie. Ever since the wolf thing and Allison... she hadn't really seen a lot of Scott. She knew it was affecting Stiles more so than her, and that made her feel even worse. For the longest time, it had always been the three of them. They would do everything together. Granted, Gracie was closer to Stiles than Scott, but Scott was still like her baby brother. She still loved him dearly. And not having him around the past couples of weeks has been really weird, it was more Stiles-Gracie than Stiles-Scott-Gracie.

But she understood. He had to deal with being a werewolf, and he didn't know how to control it very well. He was scared of it. And then he had Allison. Gracie could tell he really did like her, maybe even love. He always lit up and got this dreamy look on his face whenever she was around or her name was mentioned. It was cute, really. He was like a love-sick puppy, pardon the dog joke if you will. Gracie let out a soft snicker at her inner monologue before grabbing a bag of blue raspberry Airheads and a pack of blue raspberry Laffy Taffy. She quickly went through the check out, earning an odd look from the cashier, and she made her way out of the store and towards the parking structure.

She hoisted the bags up to her elbow while she opened the door and began to climb the stairs to the third story, where she was pretty sure Scott parked. With a grunt, she opened the third-floor door and headed out. She heard the sound of a familiar car horn go off twice above her. Her shoulders slumped, recognizing the beep as hers and realizing she was on the wrong floor. She turned around and entered the stairway again. She was about to go through the door to the fourth floor when she was stopped.

A hand had shot out from behind her and clamped over her mouth firmly. She immediately tensed and dropped her bags to the ground. She brought both of her hands up to the one over her mouth and started to tug at it. A firm body pressed against her from behind, and a voice spoke close to her ear.

"Stop struggling! It's me!" The voice whispered harshly. She stopped her struggling for a second before the voice fully registered. She closed her eyes and relaxed, the hand moving away slowly. She quickly turned around and started to yell at the older werewolf, but was immediately shushed by him placing a finger over her lips. She blinked.

"I'm training Scott." Derek whispered lowly, leaning forward to be closer to her ear to lower the chances of Scott hearing them from the parking garage on the other side of the door. Gracie swallowed a lump in her throat that she didn't know was present and nodded.

"I take it he doesn't know?" She replied in an equally quiet tone. She could just feel the smirk that Derek gave off without even having to look at him, confirming her question. She rolled her eyes with a grin and moved back, out of the way for the door. Derek nodded at her and started to move by her. She knew he didn't want her to be involved, that's why he had stopped her. However, she was pretty ticked off about the way he did it. As he walked by, her hand shot out and she punched his arm the best she could. Of course, it hurt her more than him and she pouted, cradling her now injured hand to her chest. He gave her another smirk that was laced with amusement. She glared.

"Jackass." She spat at him sharply for both hurting her and scaring her. He shook his head at her before slipping through the door. Grace muttered incoherent phrases to herself as she bent down to pick up all of her fallen products and placing them in the bag. She quickly unwrapped a blue raspberry flavored sucker and popped it into her mouth. When she went to stand up, she began to hear the sounds of car alarms going off. Curiosity was beginning to get the best of her and after nearly two minutes, she opened the door and poked her head out. She saw Derek and Scott at the other end of the garage, and then suddenly Derek threw something. Gracie watched as Scott's phone shattered.

She could hear Scott yelling at the older werewolf from her position as she began to make her way towards them, but she couldn't make out exactly what he was saying. Derek responded evenly, which had made Scott tense up and that was when Gracie swooped in.

"Scottie! How'd it go? Did you win or did you die?" Her eyes were wide and a grin was on her face as her friend gaped at her, Derek sent her an even glance with an eyebrow twitch upwards at her chipper attitude. The youngest of the three shook his head at his blonde counterpart.

"Y-You _knew_ about this?" Scott almost sounded upset. She felt her brow furrow in confusion. She wasn't sure if he was mad at her or what, she didn't do anything wrong... did she?

"Well... yeah." She blinked rapidly a couple of times before continuing. "You're supposed to be learning how to control the wolf... right?" She glanced between the two males with her. Derek still looked a little irked and it was directed towards Scott, and Scott was definitely a bit pissed off at his newly destroyed phone. It was only when Gracie was sure Scott was getting ready to pounce on Derek that she intervened.

"Come on, Scott. Let's get these groceries back." She had placed an arm out in front of his chest as soon as his eyes had lit up gold and he growled, stopping him from approaching the other werewolf any further. The wolf-infected boy cocked his head at her and glared down at her. She had to admit, her will was wavering at the sight of those angry golden orbs on her. But friends don't back down, they stand up for what they believe in and help their friends, no matter what's wrong with them.

"Scott." Gracie whispered evenly, lifting a brow at her friend. She was sure both of them could hear her increased heartbeat, and even smell the fear radiating off of her. Scott's eyes slowly faded to a brown. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a frustrated sigh before turning and walking away from his two elders to go pick up the bags he had dropped during the impromptu training session.

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><p><strong>So yeah. I hate this chapter. But at least Derek was in it, right? =**


	16. Chapter 16

**This chapter is the shortest one I have, I believe. Sorry.**

**Also, I'm aware this story can be considered a bit 'boring'. And I'm not going to apologize for it. I mean, this is the life of a teenager that doesn't exactly have anything special about her. Sure, one of her friends is a werewolf and, eventually, she'll be dating a werewolf... But right now? She's just a simple teenage girl that doesn't really _do_ anything. And it's a slow building romance.**

**I hate feeling aggressive like this, but if you want a story about a quick fuck or unrealistic drama, please... immediately STOP reading my story and go find something else. Because that's not happening. I've already explained the relationship thing in a previous chapter. If you would like for me to kindly re-inform you, I will if I must. I understand 'constructive' criticism. But please, keep it constructive and not just complete bitching about what you're reading. If you don't like what you're reading, don't bother reading it. They have the 'close' button and the 'back' button for a reason. You're not being forced to read it. Move on. Thank you.**

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><p>Gracie closed her eyes and let out a sigh of relief, glad her friend didn't rip her to shreds at her interference. She reigned in what was left of her fear and tension and cast a crooked grin towards Derek.<p>

"Seems like the training is working!" The blonde tried to keep the carefree air about her, but the expression on older werewolf's face caused her to falter. Her lips twitched slightly before the grin left her face, a look of concern replacing it. Her gaze drifted away from Derek's steely one, focusing on the concrete below her. Taking a moment, she thought through everything that had just happened. Scott, who couldn't control his inner wolf, could have easily just hurt her, or even killed her. And, without thinking, she just jumped in front of him to stop him from doing something she didn't approve of. Was that a good thing, or a bad thing? Was she a good friend, or was she being stupid?

Her head turned to watch Scott down the garage as he finished picking up the bags. Her friend was dangerous. She had yet to let that sink in. He could kill her. And, if he couldn't control his wolf or stop the Alpha, he would end up killing her. She turned her head to face the more experienced wolf of their group and shifted, crossing her bag filled arms over her chest. His gaze had yet to falter off of her, watching her every movement carefully. It would've bothered her at any other moment, but she was too focused on her thoughts right now.

"Derek..." It was quiet, and she really didn't know what she was going to say. His expression went from a hint of worry to alert, he straightened himself up and leaned his head forward a bit in anticipation as he waited for the younger girl to talk. Gracie glanced over at Scott and watched him make a gesture towards her saying he was going to her car. She waved back to confirm she understood and turned back to the wolf. She spoke quietly so Scott wouldn't hear her.

"I know I'm a human... And I really can't help with any of the wolf business." She took in a breath, switching her gaze from Derek's left eye to his right eye as she tried to get her thoughts together. She shook her head, a look of minor confusion coming across her face as she couldn't really formulate a decent thought.

"But if there is anything I can do..." She stopped short. Understanding crossed Derek's face and he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Her eyes refocused themselves on him and he send her a level gaze.

"I'll let you know if there is anything you can do to help Scott. But for now, I just need to get him to get his change to come and go willingly." He shifted, not really wanting to say this. "And for that, I need him to distance himself from the people that could stop that change against his will." Gracie's eyebrows rose, and a rather offended look crossed her face.

"You want me to abandon my friend when he needs me the most?" She shook her head, closing her eyes. She took a step back from the man. She couldn't do that. Derek's hand gripped her shoulder tightly, causing her to look at him once again.

"You need to do this for Scott to be able to control it. You want to help him, right?" He asked with a small frown on his face. Gracie couldn't help the laugh that rose from her throat. It was short, and slightly bitter. She rolled her eyes at the older man.

"I want to help you too, Derek." He faltered, moving his hand off of her and letting it slowly drop to his side. The expression on his face had a hint of astonishment upon it. This girl barely knew him, but she wanted to help him. Gracie bit her lip and turned her head away from him.

"I should-"

"Go. Scott's waiting for you." Derek took a step back, his brow furrowed as he watched the girl give him a nervous wave and saunter off in the direction that Scott had went in. He took a moment to stand there and think over the past few weeks. There was a fresh werewolf in Beacon Hills that needed his help, as reluctant as the young wolf was for it. And one of his closest friends was slowly worming her way underneath Derek Hale's rough exterior.

**[Page Break]**

Monday rolled around sooner than Gracie had wanted. She just wanted to stay home and lay in bed that morning, but the demons known as her parents forced her to go to the hell known as school. She spent the better part of the day wondering why everything hated her and the reasoning for everything being out to get her. First, she was forced to go to school. Second, she couldn't find her car keys. Third, she was late for school because of her car keys. Forth, she ended up spilling her orange juice on her light blue shirt while in her rush to get to school. Fifth, it was way too hot for her to keep her jacket zipped up to cover the stain so she ended up becoming even more grouchy. Sixth, her teacher had chastised her for her lateness in front of the class and forced her to go first in their oral reports on a subject she hadn't exactly studied for.

She really just wanted to jump off a cliff. She could picture it in her head; jumping off one of the cliffs over in Rock Falls and landing with a splat against the water. Hopefully it would be a high enough jump that she wouldn't feel anything. Just die peacefully. Of course, she would never do this. She was just bitter. Very, very bitter.

She caught sight of Scott and Stiles in the hallway ahead of her and as she approached, she listened.

"Good. That gives me enough time." Stiles sounded relieved. Gracie stopped next to them, causing the two to glance at her in recogniztion.

"Time to do what?" She asked curiously, feeling her mood brighten at the sight of her two besties. Stiles smirked.

"To train Scott myself." He responded, walking away. Scott and Gracie blinked at one another before following him down the hallway. She followed them into the lunch room and separated from them while she went to browse the food selection of the day. The two boys sat down at a table in the back of the cafeteria while the blonde eyed everything. She grabbed a slice of pizza and a bottle of orange soda. She paid for it and made her way to Stiles and Scott. She sat her tray down next to Stiles.

"Plus, I'm a better Yoda than Derek." Stiles bluntly stated as he chewed on a bite of apple. Gracie snorted as she sat down, laughing at his words.

"Okay. Yeah. You teach me." Scott whispered, hiding behind the textbook to avoid Allison. Apparently, Derek had very politely informed Scott that he needed to avoid Allison at all costs because she wasn't helping out at all with controlling his wolf. The blonde was surprised that he was listening.

"Yeah. I'll be your Yoda." Stiles nodded, glancing down at the notebook in front of him. Gracie shoved half of the pizza in her mouth in one bite, earning a disgusted look from Scott. He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. You be my Yoda." He rolled his eyes once again, his tone full of sarcasm. Stiles sent a grin at the puff-cheeked Gracie before speaking.

"Your Yoda I will be." He tried to mock the high-pitched tone that the original Yoda used, failing miserably at it. Gracie blinked, swallowing her bite before opening the pop and chugging it. Stiles laughed. "I said it backwards-" Stiles tried to explain himself with a laugh. Scott shook his head and looked up at him.

"Yeah, I know." Scott responded, wanting his friend to just stop being an embarrassment. The other teen paused for a moment and stared at him before gathering up his books.

"Alright. You know what? I definitely still hate you." He snatched everything into his arms and stood up rather quickly. Gracie quickly put the cap on her pop and pulled the strap of her messenger bag over her shoulder, preparing to follow him. She shoved the other half of her pizza into her mouth and put the pop bottle into her bag before standing up as well.

"Uh-huh! Oh yeah." Stiles snatched the textbook out of Scott's hands, leaving him defenseless and open for an attack. Stiles walked away from the table, Gracie hot on his heels. Scott panicked for a moment before grabbing his bag and following behind the two as Allison called his name twice.

Once in the hallway, the group separated as Scott practically ran for the boys bathroom. Gracie watched as Allison stood on the other side of the door for a moment before sighing. She caught sight of the blonde and smiled brightly, approaching her and Stiles. Gracie waved casually, mouth still full of food.

"Hey, Gracie!" Allison greeted her. The two hadn't really talked too much, but they'd gotten to be decent friends over the lunch periods where they sat together. Basic friends, nothing more. Although, Gracie wouldn't mind having a close female friend to talk to about certain things.

"Herro." She responded as best as she could, causing Stiles to facepalm at his friends lack of manners. However, Allison laughed at her in amusement, grinning.

"Do you know what's wrong with Scott?" She asked, pointed her thumb back at the boys bathroom. Swallowing the chewed food, Gracie cleared her throat.

"His stomach is bothering him. Like, you should probably steer clear the rest of the day. When his intestines start fighting back, it's not a pretty sight. Or smell for that matter." The blonde made up off the top of her head, lying way too casually to Allison. The dark haired girl grimaced for a moment before nodding her head.

"Gottcha." She laughed nervously. "I'm gonna head to class. Talk to you later!" She smiled before darting off again. Next to her, Stiles was snickering.

"That was so mean." He muttered with a grin, not minding at all because he was still mad at Scott about what happened to his dad. Gracie shrugged.

"You know what's mean? Me not being involved in Star Wars. You're Yoda. Scott is Luke. Who am I?" She pouted as she followed Stiles towards the gym area. He planned on doing an activity that involved pain against Scott and trying to get him to control his anger. He glanced down at his shorter, female companion.

"Obi-Wan?" He suggested with a shrug. She blinked for a minute, pondering. She nodded in approval.

"I'm Ewan McGregor. That means I'm a fine piece of Scottish ass. I'm okay with that." She laughed as they approached the boys locker room. He turned towards her with a grin.

"Meet us out at the lacrosse field. I have to grab something." He turned and entered the locker room. Gracie stuffed her hands into her pockets and headed out to the field. Once there, she leaned against the bleachers as she waited for the two boys to arrive.

It didn't take long for Stiles and Scott to come marching towards her. Stiles had his lacrosse bag in his hand, and he dropped it to the front bench loudly. Gracie followed him over there, arms crossed over her chest as she watched him curiously.

"Okay." He opened the bag and rummaged around before pulling out a rather familiar looking item. "Here, put this on." He handed to to Scott. Gracie blinked.

"Is that one of the heart monitors that the track team uses?" She asked, taking it out of Stiles' hand and examining it. She laughed shortly and shook her head before handing it to Scott. "Did you steal that?" She was amused. He gave her a short look and rolled his eyes.

"Temporarily misappropriated." Gracie pouted her lips and quirked a brow.

"Big word for such a small brain." She jabbed him in the forehead. He scoffed and shoved her hand away, pulling out a phone she hadn't seen before.

"Is that coaches phone?" Scott furrowed his brows together. Gracie snickered slightly, shaking her head at her younger friend.

"This, I stole." He gave Gracie a pointed look. She held her hands up in defense and went over to the bleachers and sat down. She folded her legs underneath her as she watched Stiles and Scott banter for a moment before Scott put the heart rate monitor on and the two of them headed out to the field, lacrosse gear in Stiles' hand. She leaned back and rested her back against the row behind her as she let out a chuckle. She knew exactly what Stiles was going to do. And she also knew he would get some sort of sick pleasure out of it because he was still mad at Scott for what had happened to his father the previous Friday.

Once out on the field, the blonde girl watched as Stiles used duct-tape to keep Scott's arms behind his back. She gaped slightly and shook her head, not really believing this was happening. Stiles walked a couple of feet away from Scott before violently throwing the lacrosse ball at Scott's stomach. The blonde's reaction was immediate, laughter bubbling over and spewing out of her mouth. She watched as Stiles repeated the motion a couple of times, and she honestly tried to stop laughing when Scott cast her a glare after a particularly hard blow. She really did try to stop giggling, but she couldn't. Her friends pain was her amusement. She buried her face in her hands to stop watching as she tried to control her giggles.

She was distracted by a laugh from behind her and she tilted her head back. She spotted Jackson standing behind the bleachers, watching the scene with obvious amusement. He glanced down at her, his smile vanishing for a moment. She sent him a lop-sided grin to let him know that she really didn't care that he was laughing at Scott's pain, and let out a particularly loud laugh when Stiles slammed the ball into Scott's crotch. Jackson loosened up and cast the blonde a small smile before watching Scott once again.

After several more hits, Scott tried to get Stiles to stop, but he still went through with a rough throw. Scott groaned loud enough that Gracie could hear it and she sat up straight, watching intently. He struggled for a moment before he broke the duct-tape and fell to his knees, slamming his hands on the ground below him. She stood up slowly and gaped as Stiles walked over to Scott to check on him. She shifted slightly, getting this feeling that Scott had been about to shift. She glanced behind her to look at Jackson. He was staring at Scott, a suspicious look planted on his face. Taking a closer look, Gracie noticed that he actually looked pretty bad. The past few days he had been really pale and quiet at the lunch table. He started to get these bags under his eyes and he looked tired all the time. He was staring at Scott with a look that Gracie couldn't place. She blinked and opened her mouth to speak, when Jackson's blue eyes darted towards her and realization crossed his face. He took a step back and turned away from the scene, making his way towards the school.

Gracie stood there for a moment before the boys came up to her and Stiles tossed an arm around her shoulder. They began to make their way to the school once again.

"So, Gee. Find us after your last class, mkay? We'll be getting out of Economics." Stiles gave her a kiss on her temple before dashing into the boys locker room. She blinked as Scott gave her an affectionate pat on the shoulder before doing the same. They didn't talk to her at all about what happened out on the field, and she didn't even have enough time to tell them that Jackson was snooping around during their little test. With a pout, she hoisted her bag further up her shoulder and marched off towards her computer class.

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><p><strong>Yeah, I know it was short. And I know it wasn't very involved. But hey, that's Gracie for you. She's not a very interesting person. She's <em>normal<em>. **


	17. Chapter 17

**This is another short chapter. I wrote sixteen through twenty in Google Docs, and they ended up being shorter than normal, sorryyy. Also, I'm going to try and keep updating every few days like I have been, but I'm starting to get a little overwhelmed. I've been filling out college applications left and right, and I'm working on a book as well. I also need to start practicing to go get my drivers license and then I have writers block on chapter twenty-two and blah blah blah. And, I'm super addicted to Supernatural and all I wanna do is watch it while crying on tumblr about all the feels I have. =/ AND, if I do get accepted into the college that I really want, updates might become limited because I'll be focusing on moving five states over and then focusing on school as well...**

**But, all in all, I think you guys should be satiated for a while because I have a few more chapters already written up and what not. :3 I hope you enjoy this chapter, I did. 3**

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><p>Gracie was able to swiftly weave in and out of the growing crowd of students as the final bell of the day rang. Taking the steps two at a time as she went from the lower floor to the main floor, she kept her eyes open for her two crazy friends as she turned the corner. Luckily for her, they were conveniently stopped in the middle of the hallway, forcing students to walk around them in frustration. Eager to cause the Beacon Hills High student body even more pain, she dashed over there and threw her arms around both of their shoulders with a grin, thus making their blockage larger.<p>

"Hey, homeboys. How's it going?" She grinned. Stiles rolled his eyes in exasperation as he looked from Gracie to Scott.

"Scott here has realized that he's in love with Allison." Gracie blinked, staring at Scott.

"Just now? Bro. That's so cute! My baby's finally all grown up and he knows he's in love!" Gracie cooed as she pinched his cheeks affectionately. Scott pushed her away from him and she laughed as Stiles caught her before she fell. She grinned at Scott before watching Stiles move around in a circle. He was getting an idea.

"Are you getting an idea?" She questioned as she lifted a brow. He nodded.

"Yeah..." He muttered, narrowing his eyes at Scott.

"Will it get me in trouble?" Scott was reluctant to ask.

"Maybe." The other boy responded with a shrug.

"Will it cause me physical pain?" Scott was, again, reluctant to ask. He feared the answer. Stiles grinned.

"Definitely." He gripped Gracie's wrist before pulling her towards the schools' exit. Scott followed along like a good little puppy as they made their way towards the student parking lot. Stiles led them to the far side of the parking lot where Gracie knew the thugs hung out. They were this group of four or five creeps that bullied others, smoked on school property, walked around town drunk, and just caused a bunch of problems for the rest of the school. She blinked as they stopped.

"Scott. Stand right here. Gracie, go... over there." Stiles made a wild gesture to the left. She blinked with a pout, feeling like a third wheel, before she did as he said and stood off to the side. She watched as Scott pulled out his keys and held them up. Stiles smirked and pulled out his own set of keys. Gracie shook her head in shock, willing Stiles to stop what he was doing as he drug the key along the side of one of the thugs' truck. She groaned and covered her face with her hand, terrified. This wasn't going to be pretty. She tensed up as Stiles yelled out.

"Hey, hey, hey, dude? What do you think you're doing to that truck, bro?" Stiles was a perfect little actor. Gracie straightened herself when the four guys in the corner turned towards Stiles, following his gesture to Scott. The 'leader' of the group started to approach Scott, who shook his head quickly and shoved the keys in his pocket. Suddenly, the guy slammed his fist into Scott's jaw.

"Shit!" Gracie squeaked as she watched Scott go down. Scott tried to tackle the kid, but he was punched off of him. Another one of the guys' friends came over and they started to double-team him, then the others came over one by one. Seeing Scott getting beat up by four different people wasn't boding well with Gracie and she shifted. She glanced over at Stiles, who was keeping track of Scott's heart rate on the phone. He glanced up at her and saw her worry. He looked away, starting to feel a bit guilty about it. She waited a couple of minutes before Stiles made a gesture saying his heart rate had lowered and Gracie moved in.

She rushed forward and shoved one of the guys away. "Hey bro! Calm the fuck down!" She yelled. The guys turned towards her and started to throw a punch at her and she cried out as she quickly moved to the side.

"I'm a girl! You can't hit girls!" She whined out as she shoved another one of the boys away from Scott. Apparently, their mother never taught them any manners, because the 'leader' of the group turned towards her and shoved her back. She stumbled and fell onto her ass, glaring up at the guy.

"This asshole keyed my car, girly. You better keep your nose out of other peoples' business before you get yourself fucked up." He warned her before landing another blow on Scott, who winced. Gracie shook her head.

"Shit just got real, bro." She growled out before lunging at the guy. She was able to get him off balance and knock him to the ground before one of his friends pulled her off of him roughly and slammed her to the ground. As she was going to get up, the 'leader' of the group landed a good punch to her jaw. She gasped, her head turning with the force. That was going to bruise. She was sure of it. Stiles, who had panicked, came over and tried to calm the guys down and stop any further abuse on his innocent friend. Just when they were going to hit Stiles, a voice broke up everything.

"Stop! Stop it right now!" The guys who were beating up the three of them took off with their tails between their legs as Mr. Harris, one of the science teachers in school, came up to the three. He helped Gracie stand up and shook his head as he took in everything before him. The blonde winced as she felt the numb side of her face. She felt something warm and sticky on her fingers and she tensed up.

Pulling her hand away, she took in a sharp breath when she saw blood on her fingers. She made a whine in the back of her throat as she used her shirt to soak up the blood from her busted and swollen lower lip. She blanked out as Mr. Harris spoke to the three of them. Stiles had came up next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Scott had cast her a worried glance as Mr. Harris was guiding them to his classroom for the detention that had so wonderfully earned for getting the shit beat out of them.

When they got to the classroom, they all sat in relative silence. Scott and Stiles were placed at one of the tables with a notebook open in front of each of them. Gracie was leaning against the wall, staring up at the ceiling with tired eyes. She refused to sit down, ready to bolt for the door. Mr. Harris showed a bit of annoyance, but he knew Gracie to be one not to back down. Having her in her Freshman and Sophomore year, he knew she was a stubborn one. He just let her stand next to the boys. Scott was soaking up the blood from his nose and lip while Stiles was just leaning on the table and doodling on the notebook.

"Uhm... Excuse me, sir." Scott spoke, catching Mr. Harris's attention. He glanced up at his student, waiting for him to continue. "I know this is detention and all, but I'm supposed to be at work and I really don't want to get fired." He informed the teacher. Mr. Harris let out a sympathetic smile of understanding before he glanced back down at the papers he was grading. Well, Scott wasn't going anywhere that night. Scott let out a frustrated sigh before focusing on Gracie.

"You really shouldn't have done that, Grace." He whispered. Her green eyes shifted from the ceiling to her friend. She let out a soft scoff, a very small smile on her face.

"You're my friend, Scott. I wasn't going to let them beat the crap out of you for too long." She joked weakly, still affected by the sight of her own blood. She didn't like blood. Everyone knew that. And when it was her own blood, she didn't know how to react. Scott shook his head softly.

"You knew I would heal." He muttered, then focused on Stiles. The other boy nodded.

"Yep." Stiles nodded, glaring at his paper.

"So, you did that to help me learn?" Scott asked. Stile nodded once again.

"Yep." It was the same short tone as before. Gracie watched them carefully.

"But partially to punish me." Scott deduced. Stiles rubbed his hands together.

"Yeah. Well, that one's obvious." He muttered in response. "Gracie intervened when it got too rough." None of them had realized that Mr. Harris had focused on their conversation. The blonde sent Scott a toothy grin when the boys glanced at her.

"I'm not letting my friend go down without a fight. I have your back Scott... And I always will." She gave him a soft smile, before wincing as she felt a stinging sensation on her lip. She laughed softly, causing Scott to give her a smile.

"I appreciate it. And you guys are my best friends. I can't have you being angry with me." He directed that last part to Stiles. He sighed in response and rubbed a hand over his face.

"I'm not angry anymore." Stiles admitted. "Look, you have something, Scott." Stiles started, and Gracie tensed up. She didn't know if she wanted to hear this. "Whether you want it or not, you can do things that nobody else can do. So that means you don't have a choice anymore." He paused. "It means you have to do something." There was a moment of silence between the two boys as they shared a glance with one another. Scott nodded with a small smile on his face.

"I know." He whispered. "And I will." He promised. Gracie smiled, reaching over and putting a reassuring hand on her friends shoulder.

"Alright, you three. Get out of here." Mr. Harris spoke from the front of the room. Gracie sent him a grateful smile before grabbing her bag and tossing it over her shoulder. The boys thanked him and gathered their stuff before darting out of the room. They were heading down the hallway when the three went their separate ways; Scott to work, Stiles to go home and check on his dad, and Gracie to go home and play video games.

**[Page Break]**

She was halfway there. She could see the beautiful red door of metal that promised her safety. She could hear the footsteps of her companions behind her as she quickly ducked behind a nearby wall. Taking in a deep breath, she jumped out from behind the wall and sprinted towards the beacon of safety.

"Come on, come on, come on!" She chanted as she ran, her eyes glued to the door. Suddenly, a screech was heard through the area and her eyes widened.

"No no no no no no!" She panicked as she began to look around frantically. It dropped from the sky, landing on her and pinning her to the ground. She could imagine the vicious smirk on his face as he pulled back a hand and brought his clawed hand down to slash her face. She let out a scream as she tried to empty her pistols into his chest. But it was too late. The screen faded to black and she stared at the words 'Mission Failed' reflected back at her.

Gracie sat there, staring at her computer screen with open-mouthed awe. She had never failed this mission! Not once! She pouted and blinked before shoving the keyboard away from her violently. She let out a frustrated scream as she threw herself onto her bed childishly and buried her face into her pillows.

"Stupid Hunters!" She cried out, her voice muffled by the pillow. She felt a warm, wet nose on her arm and she rolled over to stare at the fluffy white dog above her. She scratched behind her dogs ears as she spoke. "I mean, seriously. The door was right there, Yuki. And that retarded Hunter had to go after me of all people. Why not Francis? He talks the most shit." She pouted. The dog cocked her head in response before laying down next to her master.

"I should start preparing for the zombie apocalypse. It'll happen, you know." She sent a pointed glance at her dog. "And you'll be the first thing I save." She cooed as she placed an affectionate kiss between her dogs' ears.

"Of course I'd have Stiles. Life would be too boring without him. And he has enough energy, he should be decent against the zombies. And Scott. Now that he's all werewolf-like, he could probably take down a hefty load of flesh-eaters." Gracie pondered around in her head for a while.

"I would try to save mom and dad. But, let's face it... They would probably be some of the first to go since they work at the hospital. That's where the infection would be most prominent. Oh! Bentley! I would definitely get Bentley. Somehow. She's all the way in Britain." She smirked to herself. "Maybe it'll be all 28 Days Later over there and I'll meet Cillian Murphy... Then there is Tyler. Gotta save my big bro. Besides, he's probably a decent shot with all the video games he plays." She stared up at her ceiling for a while.

"I'd chose Derek too." She admitted, lifting a brow. "He'd definitely take out some zombies with his bestial wrath." She laughed before she blinked, getting a bit serious. "I wouldn't mind having some eye candy along the way, either..." She shook her head. "I did not just say that." She groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"You so did." A voice chimed from her window. She let out a loud scream and thanked the gods that her parents both worked late that night. In her window sat a grinning Stiles, one leg in and one leg out. She quickly stood up and pointed a finger at him accusingly.

"Why are you here? How come everyone can sneak in my window without me knowing?" She demanded with a yell of frustration. He rolled his eyes at her, gesturing for her to come through the window.

"You were too busy drooling over the sour wolf and planning the zombie apocalypse. That's really unhealthy by the way." When she just stood there gaping at him, he made an impatient gesture. She shook her head and quickly shoved her feet inside a nearby pair of Converse and grabbed a red and black plaid shirt as a form of jacket.

"What's unhealthy?" She questioned, climbing out of her window and following him as they shimmied down the tree outside of her window.

"The drooling part, not the zombie part." Stiles shivered. She rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove.

"So what are we doing-Hey, Scott." She gave Scott a grin as she climbed into the back of the Jeep. Stiles got in the front and started it up, heading towards the school.

"We're meeting Derek at the school. He thinks my boss is the Alpha." Scott clenched his fists. Gracie snorted in disbelief.

"Doctor Deaton? He's the sweetest man around!" She didn't believe it for a second. Deaton had helped Gracie out on more than one occasion when Yuki had gotten hurt or needed help. He was a nice guy and he was good at his job. He didn't seem the type to want to kill anyone, or even capable of it. Nothing else was said on the drive there and soon enough, Gracie found herself sliding out of the back of the Jeep in the schools' parking lot.

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><p><strong>Derek's bestial wrath. I couldn't even comprehend what I was typing when I typed that. I giggled. A lot.<strong>


	18. Chapter 18

**I'd like to take the time to thank ALL of you reviewers. When I'm feeling down about the story or put off by a comment, the positive reviews and the affection to give me really help boost me back up to where I should be. I haven't really thanked you guys as much as I should, and I feel like that's rude of me. So thank you. Because you guys are the reason I write this. 3 I hope you like this chapter. It was one I looked forward to for a while. **

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><p>Gracie let out a breath as she planted her feet on the ground. She closed the door behind her and shivered a bit. It was late January and it had snowed earlier in the day, making the air frigid. She wrapped her arms around herself as she leaned against the back of Stiles' Jeep.<p>

"This is a terrible idea." Stiles breathed out with a sigh as the two boys from the front seat came to stand on either side of the blonde. She didn't respond as she let her tongue dart out and run against the cut that was still on her lip. The swelling had gone down a bit, but there was a noticeable bruise and the cut was still there. It stung every time she licked her lips, but her lips kept getting chapped and when they got chapped, it stung anyway. It was a lose-lose situation.

"Yeah, I know." Scott breathed out, looking around the parking lot. Stiles blinked and gave a partial spaz.

"But we're still going to do it?" He didn't want to go through with this. They had worked out a plan in the Jeep to try and prove the veterinarians innocence. Gracie had to admit, it was absolutely ridiculous. But then again, it was Scott's idea. He wasn't one for planning. Stiles was the planner of the group.

"Can you think of something better?" Scott asked in frustration.

"Well, personally. I'm a fan of ignoring a problem until eventually it just goes away." Stiles gestured with his hands like something was leaving. Gracie smirked and stared at Scott.

"We should have Kate shoot Derek again, smuggle Doctor Deaton out of town, then come back." She shrugged when Scott gaped at her. Hey, it was an idea. It's not like she would let Derek die. They would come back and give him the antidote... Once Deaton was safe, of course.

"That's a terrible idea." Scott shook his head, focusing on Stiles. "Make sure we can get inside." He ordered Stiles, who just rolled his eyes in response. Gracie lifted her head when she heard the sound of a car pulling up the road. Sure enough, a black Camaro came pulling up and parked behind Stiles' Jeep. The three approached as Derek got out of the car with a sigh.

"Where's my boss?" Scott demanded, glaring at the older wolf. He rolled his eyes in response, slamming his door.

"He's in the back." His tone was exasperated. Gracie moved her body to the right and peeked inside, catching sight of Deaton wrapped in duct-tape and laying in the backseat.

"Oh, he looks comfortable." Stiles' sarcasm was appropriate and he shot Derek a look of 'really, I can't even believe you', before he followed Scott towards the school's entrance. Gracie shook her head, crossing her arms.

"Not cool, bro. Not cool." She chastised the older wolf, whose eyes darted towards her. A frown crossed his face and he was about to say something, when he noticed Scott and Stiles were leaving.

"Wait. Hey! What are you doing?" He demanded. He didn't come to the school this late at night just for these kids to run off and break inside the school building. Scott stopped and turned around towards Derek.

"You said I was linked to the Alpha." He turned back around and faced the school. Gracie leaned against the back of the Jeep, having no plans in the actual break in part of this act. She would just be guilty by association, thank you. Less weight on her conscious. Scott muttered something that caused Derek to raise a brow before he made his way towards the door with Stiles behind him. She watched as they busted the door open and broke inside the school. She laughed and shook her head before resting against the back of the Jeep.

She glanced over when she heard movement and watched as Derek leaned against the back of the Jeep beside her, his gaze forward. He gave the blonde a quick glance and met her gaze. Gracie lifted her brows at the crease his brow took on.

"What?" She questioned, crossing her arms defensively. His gaze drifted from her eyes to her lips. Feeling self-conscious, her tongue darted out to lick her injured lip before she turned away from him, pouting slightly. She closed her eyes as she tried to control her heart rate that was slowly increasing for reasons she couldn't comprehend.

"What happened?" He questioned shortly. She shrugged lamely. She could feel his unwavering gaze on her and her heart beat started to increase. Her eyes started to dart around the area, trying to find something else to focus on other than the man beside her. She tried to calm herself down from the growing feeling that was rising in her stomach, but she hadn't experienced this feeling before and it was hard to counteract it.

A warm brush of flesh on her dropped hand caused her to glance down. Derek had brushed his hand against hers as he was going to drop his arms from the crossed position they were in. He made no move to pull away, either, but no move to get closer. She sighed, dropping her head back against the windshield.

"Got into a fight at school." She glanced over at him. She was surprised to see that his gaze was, in fact, unwavering and still on her. She rolled her eyes. "Stiles wanted to teach Scott how to control himself. Doesn't think you have the Yoda potential." His brow quirked at that. "Scott started to get beat up by these thugs, and I wasn't about to let him get hurt over something stupid. I tried to intervene. Couldn't get a hit in, got hit instead." She shrugged with a lame quirk of her lips. He turned his head forward and glared slightly.

"I told him to separate himself. He's causing his friends to get hurt." The wolf spoke with a hint of bitterness. Gracie turned her head towards him and lifted both of her brows.

"I think you've gotten this mixed up, bro." He lifted his gray-green eyes to her. She continued, "I willingly jumped in. Scott had nothing to do with it. He was taking it like a man. But I wasn't going to stand there and watch a friend get hurt if there is anything I can do to stop it."

"So you'll blindly attack four guys who are obviously bigger than you?" He questioned bitterly. She pulled her body back for a moment and looked at him in confusion.

"I never said-" She laughed in shock and gaped. "Have you been stalking Scott?" That was the only way he could have known. If he was there to see it for himself. He watched her for a moment, his brow still furrowed. He closed sighed and turned his gaze forward, not answering her.

"Whatever, bro." She muttered bitterly, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against the Jeep once again. Only a couple moments of silence passed by when a god-awful noise filled the air. It was Scott. Trying to howl. It was horrible. Derek closed his eyes and shook his head slightly.

"You've gotta be kidding me." He muttered. Next to him, Gracie was biting her lip softly. But that did nothing to stop the giggle that escaped her lips. It turned into a full blown laugh and she lost her balance, reaching out to grab Derek's arm as she leaned forward and let it all out. It was hilarious. It was such a tragic noise, so pathetic. And he called himself a wolf! Ha! A small chuckled escaped Derek's lips as he kept the girl from falling over in her crazy fit of laughter. His response only caused her to laugh harder, prickles of tears welling in her eyes.

Suddenly, a much more violent and deep noise filled the air and Gracie straightened herself up, glancing around with wide eyes. Derek had a surprised expression on his face as he moved away from the girl and looked around, trying to find the point of origin. He turned towards the school and gaped slightly, honestly in awe at the werewolf's true howl. The blonde gulped slightly, moving to stand next to Derek. She reached out and gripped his sleeve tightly in her hand.

"T-That was Scott, right?" She asked, glancing up at him. He gave a curt nod, confirming her thoughts. That made her relax a bit. At least it wasn't the Alpha calling out. If it was the Alpha... she would definitely be out of there in an instant. Granted, the beast probably would've tracked her down and eaten her insides... but it was worth a shot to try and run away. A couple of moments later, Scott and Stiles came walking outside. Gracie still had a hold of Derek's left sleeve and moved to stand beside him. He took in an angry breath and pointed at the two teens.

"I'm going to kill both of you!" He growled out, highly irritated at their actions. "What the hell was that?" He demanded, glancing from Stiles to Scott. Gracie bit her lip and move away from the werewolf that was growing angrier and angrier by the moment. She slid over beside Stiles and moved behind him a bit, planning on using him as a human shield if Derek wolfed out on them and went crazy ripping their throats out with his teeth.

"What are you trying to do? Attract the entire state to the school?" He demanded once again.

"Sorry. I didn't know it would be that loud." Scott let out a nervous laugh. Gracie gave him a small smile.

"It was awesome though." She chimed softly. Derek's gaze shifted to her angrily and she let out a 'meep' before moving behind Stiles fully.

"Loud and awesome." Stiles chimed in a sing-song voice.

"Shut up." Derek ordered shortly. Stiles rolled his eyes at Derek.

"Don't be such a sour wolf." He scoffed. Gracie let a small smile grace her lips as she peered at the older wolf. Suddenly, Scott looked at Derek angrily.

"What did you do with him?" He ordered. Derek looked at him in confusion.

"What?" He asked, turning around sharply to look in the back of his Camaro. Deaton was gone. Gracie leaned forward.

"Where did he go?" She asked quietly, glancing at Derek.

"I didn't do anything." He responded to Scott, looking from Scott to Gracie for confirmation on his actions. She nodded when Scott glanced at her, saying he was telling the truth.

She was about to open her mouth to speak, but instead of words, a scream ripped from her mouth as she and the other two boys beside her took several stumbling steps backwards. Before them, Derek Hale had been impaled by the hand of a large, black beast. The beast stood on two legs and had black fur. His bright red eyes focused down on the three of them and he let out a growl. Derek choked on the blood that was pooling out of his mouth. Gracie took in a sharp breath and began to hyper ventilate.

The two boys beside her stumbled back and started to head towards the door, but she stood there, staring with wide eyes in fear at the sight before her. She felt her stomach tighten and the tears form in her eyes.

"Gracie!" Stiles yelled, grabbing her wrist and violently pulling her along. She was blindly led to the school as she stared at Derek. He looked down at her for a moment before blood spewed from his mouth as he choked out something she couldn't quite catch due to the shock and his body went limp. The Alpha roared and tossed his body aside like a rag doll. Stiles pulled the semi-traumatized blonde into the school and quickly shut the door. She stood there in the middle of the hallway, a look of shock on her face. She had gone pale and she was shaking. The two boys shared a glance of worry before they tightened their grip on the doors, hoping to keep the Alpha out of the school.

"Gracie." Stiles spoke evenly, trying to snap the girl out of it. She didn't show any signs of even recognizing that he spoke. "Gracie!" He yelled sharply. Her eyes shifted to her and she blinked.

"Yeah?" She whispered, and everything broke. She felt her lip quiver and the tears fell. She slid to her knees next to the two. She brought her hands to her face and buried it as far as she could as she shook with her tears. She sobbed out of fear of the Alpha, sadness over Derek's assault and fear that he might be dead.

Scott reached out and pulled Gracie over to them, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as he held the door steady. She whimpered and buried her face into his jacket as she cried. He rubbed a soothing hand down her back trying to calm her down before Stiles took the initiative.

"Snap out of it!" He whispered harshly. Gracie lifted her head to him quickly at the tone he used. There was a fire in his eyes. "You need to calm down so we can get out of this situation alive." He spoke evenly. She sniffed, wiping her eyes with the sleeves of her flannel shirt as she nodded. They were quiet for a moment as they rose up and peeked outside of the windows.

"Do you think he's dead?" She whispered, her voice hoarse from her sobbing. Stiles glanced at her for a moment, but said nothing. Scott didn't even register that he heard her. She let out a final sob as she covered her face with her hands. She took in a deep breath and looked forward, wiping her face clean of her tears. She licked her lips and narrowed her eyes.

She was going to get even with that Alpha bastard, if it was the last thing she did. No one, and she means no one, messes with Grace Dent's friends. Not even some Alpha werewolf.

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><p><strong>Gracie's sudden mood swings... I really think she's bipolar. <strong>


	19. Chapter 19

**Thanks to all those reviewers out there. You guys really make my day! 3**

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><p>"Lock it! Lock it!" Scott whispered harshly to Stiles, who gave him a frustrated glare.<p>

"Does it look like we have a key?" Gracie interjected for Stiles, letting her newfound rage seep through. It went unnoticed by her two friends, or mistaken for panic.

"Grab something! Anything!" Scott ordered. Gracie surveyed the hall they were in and found nothing before she glanced out the window and looked around, not seeing the Alpha anywhere around. Stiles stood up slowly and glanced outside, his eyes catching something.

"Stiles, don't." Gracie whispered. He nodded his head to say he was going for it, but she reached out and gripped his sleeve. "I'm faster. Let me." She offered. He look in a breath and turned towards Gracie.

"You and Scott have something, okay?" He whispered to her, glancing down at Scott, who was slowly standing up. "Let me do this." He gave her a reassuring squeeze on her arm before he jot out of the building and back outside. Gracie was immediately at the window and watching him frantically, terrified for her friends life. He made it to the bolt cutters that were lying on the ground quickly, but as he grabbed them... The Alpha walked out from behind Stiles' Jeep and growled. The strong feeling of anger towards the beast seemed to immediately disapate with that one sound, and she felt her vengeful wall crumble to nothing, reduced to a pile of fear.

Once the fact that Stiles was still outside registered, the blonde felt the panic take over and she swiftly reached forward and began to bang on the window to get Stiles' attention, Scott yelling out for him to get back inside pronto. Stiles looked forward for a moment and froze when he saw the Alpha. At the sound of its roar, Stiles immediately jumped up and ran back inside. They slammed the doors shut and Stiles placed the bolt cutters in a position to try and keep the door locked in place.

"Where is it? Where'd it go?" Scott breathed out, looking around for the furry beast. Stiles grabbed the flashlight from Scott and turned it on, peering outside for the monster. Gracie was behind the two of them, standing on her toes to get a decent look outside to try and spot where the Alpha had gone as well. She lowered herself down onto the soles of her feet and followed the boys as they backed away from the door.

"There's no way that will hold. We need to get out of here." Gracie clenched her fists when she realized the tremor of fear was prominent in her voice. She quickly sent a glance towards her two friends, hoping they had some idea as to how to escape this rather dreadful situation.

The three of them tensed up immediately when they heard a distant growling and they turned around slowly, staring down the hallway. They saw nothing, but they definitely heard the howl that echoed through out the school. The Alpha was inside the school with them.

At the same time, the three of them took off down the hallway and ducked inside an open classroom. "The desk, the desk!" Stiles yelled and the three of them tried to move the desk, but a loud screech rang out as it moved and Stiles immediately stopped the action, turning around to stare at the open door.

"The door's not going to keep it out." Stiles brought up a good point. Scott shook his head in frustration.

"I know!" He growled. He didn't want his friend to get hurt.

"I hate your boss." Stiles muttered, coming to the conclusion that the Alpha was Deaton. He disappeared, the Alpha showed up. It made sense.

"What?" Scott asked in confusion.

"Deaton, the Alpha? Your boss." He pointed towards Scott angrily.

"No." Scott refused to believe it. Stiles leaned over the desk and whispered harshly to Scott.

"Yes, murdering psycho werewolf." But Scott still refused to believe it.

"That can't be!" He whispered back.

"Oh, come on!" Stiles rolled his eyes. "He disappears and that thing shows up ten seconds later to toss Derek twenty feet into the air?" He glanced at the frowning blonde due to the mention of the sight she witnessed. "Sorry, Gracie- That's not convenient timing?" He directed towards Scott. He shook his head.

"It's not him." He was almost pleading, trying to convince himself.

"It doesn't matter who it is! Whoever it is, it killed Derek. And we're next." Gracie stated harshly, sending an even glare at Scott. Panic filled Scott's eyes and he shook his head.

"No, Derek's not dead. He can't be dead." He whispered to himself more so than to the blonde. Stiles slammed his fist on the desk and growled.

"Blood spurted out of his mouth, okay?" He was trying not to yell, trying to keep their position secure. Gracie shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself, turning away from the two and staring at the open door to keep watch. Though, she was pretty sure that if the Alpha popped up, she would be dead before she could even warn them. "That doesn't exactly qualify as a minor injury." Stiles continued with a shake of his head in frustration. "He's dead, and we're next."

"Okay! Just..." Scott interrupted, trying to think. He glanced up at Stiles. "What do we do?" He asked nervously. Stiles tried to catch his breath before he spoke.

"We get to my Jeep, we get out of here, you seriously think about quitting your job, good?" Stiles questioned as he turned and made his way to the windows. Gracie and Scott followed him and Scott tried to open the window.

"They don't open. The school is climate-controlled." Gracie informed as she shifted her weight. She went up to the window and looked outside.

"Then we break it." Scott said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Stiles rolled his eyes.

"Which will make a lot of noise." He informed. Scott sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Then... we run really fast." Scott used the same tone as before. He looked out the window and glanced over to Stiles's Jeep. "Really fast." He stated again with a shake of his head. Gracie followed his gaze and something caught her attention. She stepped closer to the window and gaped.

"Bro... your Jeep." She muttered. Stiles turned towards her quickly and approached her side, staring at his car. "It's bent." Gracie lifted her hand and pointed. Stiles' mouth dropped open and he shook his head. The three of them stood there and peered at his car in confusion when suddenly, an object came flying through the window. The blonde gasped and all three of them ducked, glass raining down on them. She bit her lip to keep from crying out as she slammed the palm of her hand onto some broken glass on accident. She stared forward at the object in fear, it was a car battery.

"That's my battery." Stiles spoke, anger flowing through him. He loved his baby, and this Alpha had just ruined her. He started to stand up, but Scott pulled him down.

"Don't!" He whispered harshly. Gracie shook her head.

"We have to move. He knows were we are." She whispered softly.

"He could be right outside." Scott whispered, glancing at the blonde. She shook her head and laughed bitterly.

"He is right outside." She growled out before she went to stand up, Scott's hand gripped her wrist.

"Just let me look." He whispered. She lifted her brow and gestured for him to continue. As he lifted onto his knees, she held her right palm out and examined the damage. She had dozens of small shards of glass embedded into her hand. She could feel a pinching sting every time her hand moved, but she didn't have the time to fix it. When Scott stated he didn't see anything, Gracie stood up quickly, the boys following her. She led the boys into the hallway, where she allowed herself to shrink back behind the two so they could take the lead. Stiles glanced around with the flashlight in his hand for lighting, trying to decide which way to go.

"This way." Scott started to go to the right. Stiles stopped him.

"No, no, no, no." He said quickly, glancing around. "Somewhere without windows." He muttered softly. Gracie lifted a brow.

"The locker rooms?" She whispered. They had very small windows, not big enough for the Alpha to fit. Stiles agreed with her and they made their way down the hallway quickly. She was sure to keep quiet, and the boys minded their footing to try and remain as silent as possible. They had to go down a set of stairs and then they turned. The boys locker room was in front of them. Stiles quickly opened the door and let the other two in before closing it. Once inside, Scott turned to Stiles.

"Call your dad." He ordered. Stiles rolled his eyes as he rounded the corner.

"And tell him what?" Scott shook his head, not sure of what to say.

"I don't know, anything. There's a gas leak, a fire, whatever." He shrugged, looking at Stiles. "If that thing sees the parking lot filled with cop cars, it'll take off." He reasoned.

"What if it doesn't?" Stiles responded back, exasperation imprinted on his face. "What if it goes completely terminator and kills every cop in sight, including my dad?" Stiles refused to let his dad come into danger, not when he could stop it.

"They have guns." Scott tried to reason. Gracie shook her head and interjected.

"Werewolves heal. Derek had to be shot with a special bullet for it to even effect him." She shook her head, before lifting her gaze to Scott. The other two noticed the expression on her face and gave her their attention.

"I have an idea, but you guys will probably shoot it down..." She licked her lips as she felt her wound stinging from the dryness. "Allison's father... he-"

"No." Scott said quickly, shaking his head. "He'll find out that I'm a werewolf, and then Allison will find out! I don't want her getting involved in this! I have to protect her." Scott was adamant about that.

"Then what do you suggest we do, Scott?" Gracie hissed, scowling. "Just sit here and wait for that freak to kill us?"

"We-" He paused to think, shaking his head in frustration. "We have to get out of here and make a run for it."

"And go where? There's nothing around the school for at least a mile." Stiles whispered harshly. Gracie blinked, realization dawning on her.

"Derek's car is still out there." She suggested casually. Stiles sent her an appreciative look.

"That could work." He began. "We go outside, we get the keys off of his body-" He grimaced for a moment and Gracie felt her stomach drop. "And we take his car."

"And him." The blonde spoke in an even tone, causing the two others to look at her.

"Fine." Stiles shrugged, not really caring. He only wanted to get out of there. "Whatever." Stiles turned and headed towards the locker room door. Scott and Gracie quickly followed behind them. Just when Stiles was about to open the door, Scott shot his hand out and stopped him.

"What?" Stiles whispered harshly. Scott shushed him.

"I think I heard something." He responded in a quiet tone.

"Like what?" Stiles was cut off by Scott shushing him once again. The three stood there for a moment, quiet and stone still as they tried to listen to what was happening in the hallway. At the sound of footsteps, Scott pushed Gracie behind him and started to guide the group back several steps. The blonde could help the fear that bubbled inside of her and reached out, getting a tight grip on Scott's sleeve as she stared at the door.

"Hide." Scott turned his head and whispered that one word to Gracie and Stiles. The blonde nodded and quickly moved to the row of lockers to her right. Stiles was the first one to hide, noisily hiding himself in one of the lockers. Scott let out a sigh of frustration at Stiles' noise-making before hiding himself in one of the lockers as well. The blonde was quiet, gently opening a locker and sliding inside of it. Once inside, she closed her eyes tightly and tried to quiet her breathing down.

She felt her heart-rate quicken at the sound of the locker room door being opened and she quickly brought a hand to her mouth to stop herself from whimpering or crying out. She heard the footsteps walk closer and closer and felt her heart-rate quicken more and more. Then she heard Scott scream out, and Stiles scream out, and another male voice scream out. She let out a scream in response and thrust open her locker and stepped out. The four stood there, staring at one another for a moment. It was the janitor. The god-damned janitor.

Gracie let out a sigh of relief as Scott and Stiles tried to calm the panicking janitor down. If he kept up his yelling, the Alpha would find them.

"You three, get out!" The janitor demanded. Stiles shook his head in frustration.

"Will you just listen to me for half a second, okay?" He tried to reason, but the janitor wasn't having it.

"Not okay. Get the hell out of here now." He ordered, grabbing the boys' sleeves and shoving them out of the locker room. Gracie followed obediently, not wanting to cause more of a ruckus.

"God, just one second to explain!" Stiles pleaded with the night janitor.

"Just shut up and go." He pointed down the hallway angrily. A sudden growl penetrated the area and the janitor was yanked back into the locker room as a scream ripped from his throat. The door slammed shut and the three teenagers in the hallway jumped in a panic. The blonde of the trio let out a startled scream as the janitor's body was thrown against the window of the door and he began to scream for help, blood smearing itself on the glass.

Scott ran forward immediately and tried to open the door, but it was locked tight. Stiles pulled Scott away from the door and shoved him to the left, guiding him to the hallway. He grabbed Gracie's hand and started to pull her along as the three of them ran from the scene.

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><p><strong>The next chapter. Oh gawd, the next chapter kills me. Well, a certain part in it. Let's just say, I love Gracie. And she is a complete and total internet nerd. I would like to put a special thanks out there to Tumblr for corrupting me and shoving memes and slang down my throat so I can then insert it into Gracie's beautiful, subtly angsty mind.<strong>


	20. Chapter 20

**Sorry this took so long. My friend, who proofreads each chapter, unfortunately doesn't have a computer anymore. And I was hoping I could hold off until she was able to read through it and tell me how it is. But it appears like that won't be happening any time soon, her computer is completely out of commission for a while. So expect an increase in errors, which I apologize for before hand.**

**I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot, mainly because of the first scene with Gracie. I have a lot of fun making Gracie that internet nerd that lurks Tumblr and 4chan all day and plays video games all night. If I ever make a reference to something and you don't quite understand, just send a message or a review asking about it and I'll explain. 3 I hope you enjoy this chapter~!**

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><p>Despite being the top runner on the girls' track team here at Beacon Hills High, Gracie knew when to admit she was stretching herself. And she was definitely stretching herself. She could feel her chest burning from the events of the night. All the running, all the panicking, all the crying. She was worn out. A look of relief crossed her face when the three of them approached one of the school's exits.<p>

However, it morphed into one of confusion and panic as their bodies slammed into the door and it didn't open. They struggled with it a bit more, trying to get it open.

"What the hell?" Stiles growled out in frustration, slamming his body against the metal door. It rattled and moved a bit, but there was obviously something blocking it from the outside. It opened enough for Scott to get his head out and he sighed.

"It's a dumpster." Scott pulled back. "He pushed it in front of the door. To block us in." He stepped away from the door while Stiles still tried to get it open. Gracie pulled Stiles back and opened the door as far as she could. She reached her arm out and bit her lip, glancing back at Scott.

"I think I could squeeze my way through..." She suggested. Scott shook his head and grabbed her arm.

"We need to stay together." He tried to pull her away, but she held fast to her position. He furrowed his brow at her.

"Scott!" She hissed, and he let go of her arm quickly at the tone she used. "I can fit through there! I can get to Derek's... body." She struggled to get the words out. "I can get his keys. You guys can get back to the main exit and we can go." She shook her head, frowning. "I can do this, Scott." She whispered softly. It was Stiles to interjected this time.

"We don't know where the Alpha is, Gracie! He could be right out there waiting!" He hissed through clenched teeth. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"YOLO." She shook her head with a casual shrug, successfully earning a barking laugh from Stiles as he shook his head at her in exasperation and walked a few paces away, and Scott looked at her in confusion, obviously not understanding the pop-culture reference. She smiled slightly before repeating herself. "YOLO." She didn't wait for a response as she walked over to the door and pushed on it as far as she could. She grunted as she tried to open it more, but the dumpster was blocking it. Seeing that that was as far as it would open, she quickly pressed her front against the open door and slid her body to the side slowly.

"Be careful." Scott whispered harshly, which earned him a shush from the concentrating Gracie. She felt her tongue poke out of her mouth as she reached up to the top of the dumpster. She groaned slightly as she felt her body trying to squeeze itself into an area too small for it. The boys glanced behind them in paranoia as they watched her begin to hoist herself up to the dumpster. She was almost fully off the ground when a ground shaking roar ripped through the vacinity. She let out a small cry before she dropped to the ground and slid back inside the school. She cursed to herself and shook her head, mad at the fear she felt. Scott shook his head.

"We're staying together. Let's go." He ordered before the three of them went running down the hall once again. Stiles shook his head angrily.

"I'm not dying here. I'm not dying at school." He confirmed shakily. None of them wanted to die, not in the least. But dying at school was worse than dying. Gracie merely nodded with him in silent agreement as they approached the main office area, where the hallway to the left turned into a huge array of windows.

"We're not going to die!" Scott argued as he continued down the hallway.

"What does it want?" The blonde asked with a small whine, trailing behind the boys quickly. Scott shook his head in frustration.

"Me!" He growled out. He was angry at himself for getting his friends in this much danger. "Derek says he's stronger with a pack." He explained softly, shaking his head.

"Yeah, great." Stiles began, sarcasm seeping into his tone. "A psychotic werewolf who's into teamwork. That's..." He paused, spazzing in frustration. "That's beautiful." He shook his head, running a hand over his short hair. Scott slowed to a stop, causing Stiles and Gracie to halt as well. His gaze was directed out the window-wall and his brow was furrowed. Gracie blinked in confusion before following his gaze.

She took in a sharp gasp as she caught sight of a large black beast on the roof across from them, just staring. It let out a growl before it took off on all fours across the rooftop, heading straight for them. The three of them immediately turned and took off running in the direction they had came. The blonde let out a scream as the glass windows shattered behind her, the Alpha crashing through and slamming into the wall. He sputtered for a moment to get up, but was soon on all fours running at them.

The three quickly shoved open the doors to the staircase leading downstairs and stumbled down the short two flights and onto the bottom level. The blonde let out a sudden cry as she landed wrong on the last step and stumbled to the ground. She heard an array of curses leaving the mouths of her two friends as they hauled her up and drug her along. She kept up as best as she could, but she had yet to regain herself from the disorientation she received at the sudden fall.

The two boys practically drug the girl down to the basement before they hurried slid themselves behind a row of old, rusty lockers. Gracie's heart was still racing and she could hear her uneven breathing fill the air. Quickly, Scott shot his hand out and placed it over her mouth firmly. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down as she clenched her fists when she heard the resounding noise of footsteps from the hall behind the row they were hiding in. She bit back the hiss of pain she felt from her glass-covered hand and leaned her head over to rest on Stiles' shoulder. His arm immediately went around her waist as he too froze at the noise. Scott poked his head around the corner and looked down the hall for a moment before he turned back around and took a deep breath. He made a gesture for the two to get moving and removed his hand from Gracie's mouth. She let out a soft, shaky breath as she followed behind Stiles as he circled around the lockers and towards the hallway that led to the exit.

A small growl penetrated the room and they all took a step back. "We have to do something." Gracie whispered, shaking her head in dismay. They were never going to get out alive at this rate. It was just a game of cat and mouse right now, she was sure. She had this awful feeling that the Alpha knew exactly where they were and was just toying with them, making them panic and ignite a flame of hope inside them just to be able to crush it later.

"Like what?" Scott whispered back in frustration. He didn't know what to do, there really wasn't anything he could do. Stiles shook his head.

"I don't know... Kill it, hurt it." Gracie's brows furrowed as she lifted her gaze towards Scott. He backed up into an open door and flinched at the noise of it moving. He rolled his eyes when he realized it was just a door to the furnace room, then all of them flinch and tensed at the sound of a distant roar from the Alpha. Stiles glanced into the room for a moment before doing a double-take and staring inside for a while. Gracie noticed and she and Scott shared a similar look as they recognized the expression on Stiles' face as the 'I have a plan' one. The blonde bit her lip before shifting her weight.

"What are you thinking?" She prodded softly at the taller male in front of her. He shushed her before gripping her wrist and pulling her behind him and Scott. She followed obediently and they all stared straight ahead when they heard the sound of metal squealing, possibly a door being opened. The sound of keys softly jangling in front of her caused her to instantly grip the sleeve of Stiles' beige jacket, knowing it was from him. He was the only one that had keys on their person.

"Wait a minute..." Scott tried to stop Stiles, but he was shushed just like Gracie was. The growling noise that was once distant started to close in on them and the blonde took a step back hesitantly, ready to bolt. Stiles pulled out his keys as quietly as he could before glancing back in the room one last time. He lifted his hand and then tossed the set of keys inside the room and quickly gripped Scott and Gracie's shoulders before shoving them back and out of the line of sight. The thundering sound of fast approaching footsteps consumed the area and Gracie caught sight of the black beast that was hunting them dart into the room where Stiles' tossed the keys.

Like lightening, Stiles let go of his friends and ran over to the trap he had laid. He slammed the door shut and leaned against it heavily. "The desk! Move the desk!" He nodded his head to the heavy metal desk that was beside the furnace room and, immediately, his two friends went into action. The metal scraped against the floor loudly as the athletes moved it in front of the door. The blonde wasn't sure if it would actually hold for the Alpha, considering the strength it had, but she knew it was better than nothing. The trapped beast inside the room let out an outraged snarl before slamming its body against the door. Gracie jumped and shrieked as the desk jolted forward and slammed into the row of lockers across from it. Realization crossed her face and a small smile formed on her lips, the Alpha was effectively trapped inside that room. Unless he had the strength to take out a row of lockers and a wall, he wasn't getting out through this door.

"He can't..." Scott realized this too, a grin breaking out on his face as relief washed over the group. Stiles gave a smile of confidence as he adjusted himself into a standing position. He immediately flinched when the Alpha slammed against the door once again, jerking the desk. It was useless, however.

"Come on, get across." He ordered Scott, who was on the other side of the desk instead of the once that Stiles and Gracie were on. The lacrosse star paused for a moment before he jolted over the desk and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. The three stood there to catch their breath for a minute before Stiles leaned towards the door, staring at it intently.

"What are you doing?" Scott whispered harshly, hitting his friend on the arm to get his attention.

"I just wanna get a look at it." Stiles whispered back, his eyes set on the barred window of the door. Gracie shook her head, not wanting him to waste time doing it.

"Don't waste time, Stiles! We have to get out of here." She was practically shaking, ready to get out of this horrible school and go home and get the glass out of her hand and just take a god damn shower and go to bed and hope nothing like this ever happens again.

"Look, it's trapped." Stiles responded in a reassuring manner. She continued to shake her head at him before crossing her arms over her chest, wincing. Scott glanced at her.

"You okay?" He asked softly. She shook her head and held out her injured hand, showing him the damage. It wasn't too bad, several nasty cuts on it and glass was embedded everywhere. But it would come out with some tweezers and a bit of pain. While they spoke and she showed him her wound, Stiles had climbed up onto the desk and peered inside the room. Suddenly, the Alpha's hand slammed on the door and Stiles when flying back and off the desk, scrambling to his feet with the help of Scott and Gracie.

"I'm not scared of you!" He called out hesitantly. "'Cause you're in there, and we're out here." Gracie shook her head, not thinking he should be antagonizing the god damn thing trying to kill them. "And you're not going any-" He was cut off by the sound of a large crash. Then the sound of footsteps above them. Their gazes drifted to the ceiling to see it denting under the weight of the beast. The three didn't hesitate in turning around and running out of the room as fast as they could.

They made it down the hall and were wandering around the basement before Scott stopped them as they rounded a corner. "Wait! Did you hear that?" He asked, placing a hand out to stop them from moving. Gracie and Stiles shared a look of confusion.

"Hear what?" Stiles asked hesitantly, not sure if he wanted to know the answer. Gracie wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer either, not with the way her day had been today.

"It sounds like a phone ringing." Scott was confused and he ran a hand through his hair as he focused on the sound he heard.

"What?" Gracie was confused as well. She didn't hear anything. But then again, she wasn't a werewolf.

"I know that ring!" Scott said suddenly, a look of fear crossing his face. "It's Allison's phone." He whispered as he glanced around the area in hopes to pin-point the noise. Scott turned towards Gracie.

"I need your phone." He spoke hurriedly. She reached into her pocket and fumbled around for a minute, shaking her head.

"I-I don't have it!" She whispered, looking up at him. He groaned in frustration before turning to Stiles, who was already digging out his phone. She didn't know where she dropped her phone. She had it on her when she snuck out of her house... And she had it when she was outside with Derek and the boys were inside starting this whole mess. She must've dropped it somewhere inside the school. She sighed angrily, running her uninjured hand through her hair in frustration. She liked that phone. Her green eyes shifted to Scott as he spoke to Allison. He took her to go to the lobby before handing Stiles his phone back.

"So much for not involving Allison." Gracie spoke bitterly, still thinking that calling Chris Argent would be a good idea. Hunters _should_ have a moral code, right? They wouldn't kill a fresh werewolf that was trying his hardest to live with the symptoms peacefully, right?

Scott didn't have to say anything for Stiles and Gracie to start a fast pace towards the lobby of the school. It went quickly, without a hitch. Thankfully no crazy werewolves tried to kill them on their way to meet Allison.

Gracie was the first one through the door to the lobby, shoving it open with both of her hands and a little hiss of pain. She saw Allison approaching them and moved so Scott can greet her.

"Why did you come? What are you doing here?" He asked in a panic. Allison looked at him in confusion.

"Because you asked me to." She responded softly, still confused. Scott shook his head in confusion as well.

"I asked you to?" He glanced back at Stiles and Gracie for a split moment before focusing back on Allison. She brought her phone up and started to mess around on it before showing Scott something, probably the text from 'Scott' or whatever.

"Why do I get the feeling you didn't send this message?" She asked hesitantly.

"Because I didn't." Scott responded.

"His phone is still broken." Gracie informed Allison, blinking slightly. Stiles took a step forward.

"Did you drive here?" He asked quickly. Allison turned towards him and shook her head.

"Jackson did." Gracie let out a short, unhappy laugh. It was like a little party, wasn't it? Gather all the teens in Beacon Hills and slaughter them, right?

"Jackson's here too?" Scott cried out angrily.

"And Lydia. What's going on?" Allison demanded. Gracie ran her free hand over her face in despair. She didn't want such a massacre to happen. Allison's phone began to ring, but she continued on. "Who sent this text?" She demanded before answering the phone.

"Where are you?" She asked in panic before the doors to their side open and Lydia and Jackson came bursting in.

"Finally." Lydia breathed out, shoving her phone back into her bag. Gracie shifted uncomfortably. There were way too many people in this situation for her to be comfortable. "Can we go now?" She asked in a groan.

"Yes, please." Gracie piped up, already walking towards the stairs to head to the exit of the school. A sudden thud came from above them and she froze in place, turning around to face her friends. Every one's gaze shifted up to the ceiling as the thuds and creaking became louder and louder.

"Run!" Scott ordered and the group did as they were told, scrambling up the stairs in a ran straight down the hallway as fast as they could, barely sparing time to glance behind them at the growls and pounding feet on the floor. They slammed through one of the doors and Scott and quickly made work of locking it. He ran to the side and gestured towards the ice machine to the side, that's when the realization set in for Gracie. She shook her head and turned to her right, her eyes widening at the sight.

"Help me get this in front of the door." Scott called, and Jackson ran over to help Scott in moving the heavy machine in front of the door. Stiles stared next to Gracie.

"Scott." He called out, his gaze unwavering from the night sky. "Not here." He shook his head, glancing over at his friend.

"What was that, Scott?" Allison asked, fear etched into her voice.

"What came out of the ceiling?" Lydia shrieked in panic, also terrified. Gracie closed her eyes and muttered to herself, silently singing a song to herself as she tried to shut out the pit in her stomach and the overwhelming terror that was consuming her. A heavy hand was laid upon her shoulder and she didn't respond, knowing it to be Stiles in an effort to calm her down as she felt what little control she had slip away from her.

"Will you just help me?" Scott demanded in frustration. "The chairs, stack the chairs!" Allison immediately found her level-head and did as he said, Lydia following suit.

"Guys... can we just wait a minute?" Stiles called out, annoyed that his friends were ignoring him. "You guys, listen to me..." He tried again, but was ignored. "Can we wait a second?" He pleaded. He tried again three more times before moving Gracie behind him and standing in front of her.

"Hello!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, causing everyone to jump and turn towards him, except the blond girl behind him who stood there with her eyes closed tight and her fists clenched as she felt her wall crumble once again. "Okay, nice work." He complimented sarcastically. "Really beautiful job, everyone. Now... What should we do about the twenty-foot tall wall of windows?" He questioned, gesturing angrily towards the windows next to him. A whimper escaped Gracie's lips. Looks of defeat crossed the groups' face before Allison spoke again.

"Can somebody please explain to me what's going on here, because I'm freaking out!" She directed this towards Scott. "And I would like to know why." She begged. Scott stared at her for a minute, unsure of what to say. "Scott?" Allison begged, gripping his hand. He walked away from her as he tried to think rapidly. He walked over and leaned against one of the stacked chairs in the cafeteria, pondering what he should say. The three newcomers cast their gaze to Stiles and Gracie for help, who had stopped her muttering and was now standing next to Stiles with a death-grip on his sleeve. Scott cast a pleading look at the brunette male known as his best friend and Stiles sighed.

"Somebody killed the janitor." He breathed out, figuring that was safe to say. No need to get into details, right?

"What?" Lydia squeaked.

"Yeah, the janitor's dead." He started to move forward, the blonde clinging to him right behind him.

"What's he talking about? Is this a joke?" Allison laughed out her fear as she looked towards Scott, who was obviously raging a war within himself.

"What, who killed him?" Jackson wanted some answers. Then Lydia panicked.

"No, no, no, no, no... This was supposed to be over... The mountain lion killed-" She was cut off by Jackson.

"No, don't you get it?" He questioned angrily. "There wasn't a mountain lion."

"Who was it?" Allison demanded, her voice firmer than it had been all night. "What does he want? What's happening?" She whispered the last sentence. Then she got frustrated.

"Scott!" She screamed at her boyfriend, who was still panicking on what to say away from the group.

"I-I don't know!" He stammered hesitantly. "I just... If we go out there, he's going to kill us."

"Us?" Lydia shrieked once again. "He's going to kill us?"

"Who?" Allison asked once again, then everyone looked towards Stiles. "Who is it?" Stiles didn't know what to say. He didn't know who the Alpha was, he didn't know how to explain what the Alpha was... he couldn't.

"Grace?" Allison demanded firmly, but it only got a squeak of fear from the girl and she buried her face into Stiles shoulder as tears welled in her eyes. Scott shook his head and sighed, seeing no other option.

"It's Derek." He breathed out, and the blonde froze like stone. "It's Derek Hale."

* * *

><p><strong>And thus we see the beginning stages of a minor mental breakdown on Gracie's behalf. You can't blame her, though. Rabid werewolf Alpha wanting to kill her and everything. And watching a guy she doesn't quite understand her feelings for die. And trying to keep up that strength. And then loosing it all in an instant.<strong>


	21. Chapter 21

The blonde felt her emotions slip away. The fear she felt at the possibility of losing her life slipped through her fingers. The terror of knowing that this could be her last night alive blew away in the wind. The burning sensation of pain coming from her chest and her hand dissolved into a tingle. The deep rooted sadness at the loss of Derek bubbled up and shriveled away. She wasn't hurt, sad, or fearful. She was angry. She felt a stab of anger slap her in the face as she jerked away from Stiles. The tears in her eyes slipped out as she turned her head to Scott. She felt her fingers flex on Stiles shirt, and she didn't care that he could feel it. She only cared about the anger that was consuming her.

"Derek killed the janitor?" Jackson asked, hoping he got this. Gracie set her jaw as she glared at Scott, daring him to say something.

"Are you sure?" Allison asked. She had met Derek, and he was a decent guy in her eyes. She couldn't imagine him killing someone.

"I saw him." Scott reasoned evenly.

"But the mountain lion-" Lydia started, but was cut off by Scott.

"Derek killed them." He was really digging a hole right now.

"All of them?" Allison asked hesitantly, she didn't really believe him, didn't want too.

"Yeah... Starting with his own sister." Scott breathed out and Gracie flinched, taking a quick step forward. An arm wrapped around her waist and she struggled for a moment before glaring up at Stiles. He shook his head at her, telling her to go with it. She scowled before focusing her gaze back on Scott.

"And the bus driver?" Allison whispered shakily.

"And the guy at the video store." Scott growled out, letting his anger come through. "It's been Derek the whole time. He's in here with us. And if we don't get out now..." Scott turned towards the group. "He's going to kill us too." He glanced at each person individually. His eyes froze on his blond friend and his brown orbs widened at what he saw. Her jaw was clenched, her hands were clenched, and her green eyes were clouding over with rage.

"Call the cops." Jackson ordered Stiles. He shook his head, letting go of Gracie gently.

"No." He refused. He wasn't going to have his dad hurt. Jackson sputtered for a moment.

"What do you mean 'no'?" He demanded angrily.

"I mean no! You wanna hear it in Spanish?" Stiles asked, clenching his fists. "No!" He glanced down at Gracie in apology for what he was going to say before explaining.

"Look, Derek killed three people, okay? We don't know what he's armed with." He reasoned, but Jackson wasn't having it.

"Your dad is armed with an entire sheriff's department. Call him!" Jackson growled out. Lydia pulled out her phone.

"I'm calling." She shrugged as she dialed in the number. Stiles took a step forward.

"No, Lydia. Would you just hold on a second?" He was held back by Jackson so he couldn't prevent the call, so Gracie went to stop her, but Jackson shoved her back too. Her angry eyes darted to him and she had every intention to knock him flat on his ass right then in there, but he took a step back from her, hesitant. Suddenly, Lydia spoke.

"Yes! We're at Beacon Hills High School. We're trapped and we need you too..." She paused like she had been cut off and looked confused. "But..." She was cut off again, apparently, and then she hung up, confusion imprinted on her face. "She hung up on me." She informed the group.

"The police hung up on you?" Allison asked in outrage. Lydia continued.

"She said they got a tip warning them that there are gonna be prank calls about a break-in at the high school. She said that if I called again, they're going to trace it and have me arrested." Lydia was upset and worried and terrified. Allison clenched her fists and scowled.

"Okay. So call again." She growled out angrily. Stiles shook his head.

"No, they won't trace a cell. Then they'll send a car to your house before they send anyone here." Stiles knew how to police worked. Allison sputtered slightly, trying to think about this.

"What is this?" She finally got out, burying her face in her hands for a moment. "Why does Derek want to kill us? Why is he killing anyone?" Gracie opened her mouth to speak, but Scott gripped her wrist tightly to stop her. She yanked her hand away from him and turned away from the group, staring out the window with her arms crossed over her chest. There was a moment of silence before Scott spoke.

"Why is everyone looking at me?" He panicked, not liking the spotlight.

"Is he the one that sent her the text?" Lydia demanded.

"No! I mean... I don't know!" He was frustrated and jittery, they all were.

"Is he the one that called the police?" Allison questioned.

"I don't know!" Scott yelled finally, reaching a boiling point. Gracie glanced back at the group and sighed, walking over.

"Everybody, just calm the fuck down, okay?" She scowled out before gripping Stiles arm in one hand and shoving Scott forward with her injured hand. He stumbled forward as the three of them went off to the side. Stiles spoke first.

"First off, throwing Derek under the bus, nicely done." Gracie was happy to see that at least Stiles saw the problem with it, because apparently Scott had no sense of loyalty or morality in his body.

"I didn't know what to say. I had to say something." Scott shook his head. "And if he's dead, then it doesn't matter, right?" He asked, glancing at Gracie for a moment. She couldn't stop herself from jamming her knuckle into his ribs. He cried out softly, glaring at her.

"You're still a dick, bro." She snarled as she crossed her arms again. "And what if he's not dead?" She was the hopeful one. She really, really, really didn't want Derek to be dead. In fact, she would appreciate it if he was alive and kicking and running through the school in search of the Alpha and ripping the freak's head off and eating his insides like werewolves so enjoyed to do. Scott sighed in frustrated, mad at himself.

"God, I totally just bit her head off." He breathed out in regret. Gracie let out a short laugh and lifted her hands in the air in defeat before walking away from Stiles and Scott. She went over to Allison, Jackson, and Lydia and leaned against the ice machine that they moved. The blondes gaze drifted to Jackson for a moment.

"By the way, pretty boy." He glanced at her. "You push me again; I will break your face." She snarled as she crossed her arms over her chest. Allison glanced at her and started to open her mouth, but Gracie cut her off as Scott and Stiles continued their conversation with one another.

"Please don't ask me any questions, Allison." She begged, bringing her hands to her face. She buried her face deep into her hands, trying to ignore the prickles of glass on her skin from her injured hand. She sighed and pulled away, rolling her eyes to try and keep herself from crying again due to the emotional rollercoaster she was currently riding. Allison bit her lip before speaking.

"You're bleeding." She whispered, gesturing. The blonde lifting her hand lazily, showing the trio all of the cuts, scrapes and glass she had received.

"Yeah. Kinda landed on some broken glass." She muttered with a frown. Lydia reached in her bag.

"I have some tweezers, we can get the shards out-" She began, but the panicked whispering of Scott and Stiles had gotten more and more panicked and Jackson spoke up.

"Okay, enough! New plan." He was taking his natural role as captain of the group, and even though she wanted to punch him in the nose, Gracie didn't mind. "Stiles calls his useless dad-" Okay, she was kinda mad again. "And tells him to bring someone with a gun and decent aim. Are we good with that?" He asked the group sarcastically. Everyone looked to Stiles. Even though Gracie loved Stiles' father dearly-he was like her own father-she still wanted to get the hell out of there, and preferably alive. She sighed, shaking her head.

"He's right, Stiles." His gaze shifted to her in slight disbelief. She felt the tears well in her eyes again and she shrugged pathetically. "I want to go home." She whined softly. "Alive." She added firmly. He closed his eyes and shook his head, spazzing in frustration again. But not even his best friend would cause him to put his father in danger; his father was all he had left. Stiles walked away from the group and Jackson growled angrily.

"Then give me the phone." He reached over and grabbed Stiles shoulder angrily. The brunette surprised everyone by turning around and slamming his fist into Jackson's face. The blonde woman immediately straightened herself up in surprise and watched her friend closely, letting out a mental cheer in her head. As Allison rushed over to the fallen boy, Stiles angrily pulled out his cell phone. Gracie let out a shaky breath from beside Lydia. When Stiles started to talk, a sudden banging began to happen on the doors and Gracie couldn't help the scream that ripped from her throat in surprise. She jumped and turned around, backing away from the door. Stiles spoke on the phone again, to his father's' voicemail before he hung up.

"The kitchen, the door out of the kitchen leads to the stairwell." Stiles spoke, staring at the door.

"Which only goes up!" Scott growled. Gracie shook her head, turning around to head to the kitchen.

"Up is better than here." She breathed out. Her actions caused everyone else to move into gear and the group quickly made their way through the kitchen and stumbled to the stairwell. They made their way to the top floor of the school and into the main hallway of that floor. The boys started trying to find an unlocked classroom to hide in, but they were all locked so far. Lydia ran for a nearby room and it was unlocked. The teens gathered in that room before closing the door and Scott situated a metal chair so that the door wouldn't open as easily. For a human, anyway.

They were tense and trying to catch their breath when they caught the sound of footsteps. Everyone tried to quiet themselves down as they felt the panic radiate off of them. Slowly, growls filled the area and the blonde girl watched with wide eyes as a figure passed by the door and down the hallway. When the coast was clear, Scott spoke.

"Jackson, how many people can fit in your car?" His voice was a low whisper as not to alert the Alpha.

"Five, if someone squeezes onto someone's lap." The blonde male responded in the same tone.

"Five? I barely fit in the back!" Allison whispered harshly. Stiles spoke up.

"It doesn't matter. There's no getting out without drawing attention." He sounded defeated. Hell, he looked defeated, Gracie noted mentally with a shake of her head. Scott glanced over to the side.

"What about this?" He asked, walking towards a nearby door. Everyone else followed him slowly. "This leads to the roof. We can go to the roof and go down the fire escape in, like, seconds." Stiles shook his head.

"That's a deadbolt." He pointed out the lock on the door and Scott sighed. Then he looked up quickly. 

"The janitor has a key." Gracie rolled her eyes.

"You mean his body has it." She responded sarcastically. Scott bit his lip for a moment before whispering.

"I can get it. I can find him by scent... by blood." He whispered to his two best friends.

"Well, gee. That sounds like an incredibly terrible idea." Stiles didn't like it. Gracie didn't like it. "What else you got?" He asked with a pointed glare at his friend. Scott took a moment to think things over before he shook his head.

"I'm getting the key." He said it firmly, leaving no room for argument. He started to walk towards the door, stopping at Allison. As they talked, Gracie groaned slightly, turning towards Stiles.

"He's going to get himself killed." She whispered sadly. Stiles nodded for a moment before shaking his head.

"No, the Alpha wants him alive." Stiles whispered back, lowly. The blonde glanced up at him then realization flashed across her face. He was right. The Alpha wanted Scott in his pack. Not dead. He wouldn't kill Scott. The two walked over to join the conversation with the others, to discover that they were discussing a weapon for Scott to take with him so we wouldn't be unarmed. Lydia piped up.

"There." She nodded her head to the chemicals in the cabinet behind Allison. Stiles rolled his eyes.

"What are we going to do? Throw acid on him?" He didn't think that would work. The Alpha would just heal, right? Lydia rolled her eyes.

"No. Like a fire bomb." She explained softy. "In there is everything you need to create a self-igniting Molotov cocktail." Stiles had a confused look on his face and questioned it. Lydia got an annoyed look and what about to say something, but Gracie interrupted.

"The explosives you use in Left 4 Dead, bro." She whispered, earning a look of gratitude from the strawberry blonde. Gracie gave a weak smile in response. The rest of the group looked at Lydia oddly and she blinked.

"What?" She paused before covering her tracks. "I read it somewhere." She shrugged innocently, causing Gracie to send her a small smirk. Lydia Martin was definitely smarter than she let on to anyone else at Beacon Hills High School, that was for sure.

"We don't have a key for that either." Stiles shrugged lamely. Grace rolled her eyes.

"I can just smash it." She lifted up her injured hand with glass shards still protruding from it. "I'm already hurt." She shrugged. She started to go over there, but Jackson held out his arm. She lifted a brow at him and he sighed for a moment before slamming his elbow into the glass door. It was a muffled shatter, something everyone was grateful for. She cast Jackson a small smile as well, earning a nod in response that seemed to clear the air between the two of them. She moved back as Lydia began to mix chemicals together in a beaker. She watched in awe as the girl seemed to know exactly what she was doing. She really did have Lydia wrong, that was for sure. Jackson was helping her mix it up as the others watched on in anticipation, Gracie was staring out the window as she bit her lip. She hoped Stiles' father checked his messages soon, and she hoped the police showed up soon. She wanted to get out of there.

Lydia handed Scott the finished Molotov and he accepted it, staring at it for a moment. Allison shook her head. "No, no. This is insane. You can't do this." She was telling him in a pleading tone, wary of her boyfriend getting hurt. "You cannot go out there."

"We can't just sit here waiting for Stiles' dad to check his messages." Scott responded back evenly. He was determined to keep his friends safe.

"You could die. Don't you get that?" Allison was starting to get angry about it. "He's killed three people."

"And we're next." Scott's tone practically begged for Allison to understand. She sighed in response. "Somebody has to do something." He started towards the door.

"Scott, just stop!" Allison spat out, approaching him. "Do you remember...Do you remember when you told me you knew whether or not I was lying? That I had a tell." She began. He nodded in response. "So do you. You're a horrible liar." She croaked out, tears in her eyes as she took a step away from him. "And you've been lying all night. Just-Just please... don't go. Please don't leave us. Please." She begged him. He stared at her the entire time, guilt in his eyes. He sighed and turned towards Stiles.

"Lock it behind me." He ordered before starting to walk away. Allison pulled him back and they shared a deep kiss. That was the first time Gracie had ever seen Scott and Allison kiss, and she understood in that instant what Scot meant. Seeing them together, feeling the emotions they radiated, the desperation in their voices... Gracie realized that they really did love each other. It wasn't that fanciful high-school teenage fling that people thought was love. It was real, honest love. When they pulled away, Gracie quickly wiped the tear from her eye, hoping no one saw it.

She watched quietly as Scott left the group, entering the hallway slowly and hesitantly. The door closed behind him and Allison let out a shaky sigh. Stiles slowly made his way over to the door and locked it like Scott told him too before he turned back around and made his way over to his blonde friend. He sat beside her at the windows and held his hand out.

"Can I see your hand?" His voice was soft, unsure of what mood she was in. She had been in several different ones this evening; shock, fearful, angry, upset, devastated. He hoped she wasn't angry at him for going along with Scott about Derek. The blonde, however, let out a sigh before flipping her hand over so the back of her hand was in his palm. He gave her a small smile before examining the damage.

"Lydia, can you-" Stiles was cut off by Lydia already shoving him out of the way, tweezers in her hand. He lifted his hands in defense before sliding away. The group was relatively silent as Lydia started to remove each little piece of glass, using the light of the moon to see. The blonde she was working on would hiss every now and then, or groan, but she didn't fight back. When all the glass was removed and at Gracie's feet, she pulled her hand away and flexed it while wrinkling her nose up in pain.

"Thanks." She croaked out a pathetic whisper to Lydia, appreciating just what she had done. The strawberry blonde gave her a hesitant smile in return. Gracie let out a sigh before sliding off the edge of the window and walking over where everyone else had gathered, Lydia following her. Stiles was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, watching as his blonde friend walked over to them. Allison was sitting on the counter lost in thought, Jackson was leaning against one of the tables and Lydia leaned against it next to him, crossing her arms over her stomach.

"How's your hand?" Stiles whispered as the blonde lowered herself onto the floor with a groan, crossing her legs underneath her and leaning her head back against the wall. She glanced up at him.

"Good for now. I have all the glass out of it." She muttered, eying her hand. They had wiped all the blood off and onto Gracie's shirt, which made her stomach a bit shaky, and the cuts weren't bleeding anymore. She would have to put some disinfectant on it when she got a chance, though. And band aids. Lots of band aids.

"What happened to it?" Jackson asked from above her. Gracie shifted her green eyes up to him and let out a soft groan as she adjusted herself into a more comfortable position.

"That… thing—it broke a window close to us earlier and I kinda flipped out and ended up slamming my hand into the glass." It was the truth. Jackson opened his mouth to say something, but Allison spoke first.

"I don't get why he's out there, why he left us." She breathed out, obviously still angry about it. The oldest of the group wasn't exactly in the best of moods, so she ended up letting out a short, bitter laugh and rolling her eyes. "And I can't…" She trailed off for a moment. "I can't stop my hands from shaking." She breathed out. Jackson reached out and grabbed her trembling hands into his own, causing her to look up at him.

"It's okay." He said in an even, low voice that even calmed Gracie down a bit. "It's okay, it's gonna be okay." He soothed, rubbing her hands gently. Gracie noticed the look on Lydia's face and could see she wasn't happy. When she spared a glance to Stiles, he even looked a bit ticked off. And Gracie couldn't blame him. As comforting as the tone of Jackson's voice was to her, he shouldn't be getting that touchy-feely with other people's girlfriends. Gracie stood up quickly and walked between them with a soft, 'excuse me'. She got a semi-grateful look from Lydia and a nasty glare from Jackson, causing the previous tension between the two to return instantly. Allison merely gave her a soft smile and nodded, letting her through.

She opened up the cabinets behind the group in search of a first-aid kit or rubbing alcohol to help her wound out. She blew air out of her mouth carelessly as she found nothing. She let out a sigh and stood there for a moment, thinking. Her thoughts first focused on her wound and how she needed to at least cover it, before they faded off to how they had gotten into this situation. She felt her brow furrow as she a horrible image flashed through her mind.

A black beast stood on its hind legs, its hand extended into the air as it let out a vicious roar, saliva spitting all over the place at the intensity of it. Attached to its arm, however, was an even more horrific sight. There with his back arched in pain was Derek Hale, letting out a wordless scream of agony due to the Alpha's hand that had been jammed through his back, causing him to be lifted several feet off the ground. His beautiful green-gray eyes bulged at the suddenness of the action, blood spewing from his mouth and sliding down his chin. He coughed for a moment, trying to breathe, however the action was impossible with his lungs being impaled.

Then, his gaze shifted to the blonde that stood in horror as her friends screamed her name, trying to get her to flee. His mouth opened and he tried to say something, but only a choking sound came. Then a hand wrapped firmly around the girls' wrist and started to pull her back when Derek tried to speak again. His eyes locked her into place, making her dead weight for whoever was pulling her. Blood oozed from his mouth as he choked out one word.

"R-Run." Gracie's eyes widened and she leaned forward heavily, catching herself on the counter before her as she let out a sudden gasp. She bit her lip as she felt the tears smack her in the face again. Stiles gaped for a moment before rushing over to her. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"Gracie, what's wrong?" He whispered. She closed her eyes as she felt the tears rush down her face. She sniffed and turned towards him. She wiped at her face hurriedly, hoping that the others wouldn't judge her for her crying.

"He told me to run." She whispered lowly so only he would hear. Stiles brow furrowed for a moment in confusion as he stared at her. It was when a sob ripped from her throat that realization dawned on him and he quickly pulled his best friend close to him, giving her the best hug he could. She didn't hesitate in burying her face into his shoulder, not caring if she got his shirt wet. He was her friend and that's what he was there for.

"He told me to run." She whispered again, muffled by his shirt. At this point, she didn't care how pathetic or insane she looked. All she could think about was how even in his dying moments, Derek told _her_ to run, to get to safety. Almost like he _cared_.


	22. Chapter 22

**So. Here's a few things you guys should know. After each chapter, I save it to a flashdrive that I carry around with me so I can work on the fanfiction while on the go. Recently, that flashdrive broke. Like. It's completely gone. I had a lot of stuff on that flashdrive, including a book I had been planning and writing for nearly four years now. So, if it takes a while for chapters to come out, it's because I'm moping about it. (However, all of the chapters were saved because I email them to my Beta-Reader. So they're all under my email.)**

**ANYWAY. A happier note, this chapter... is hilarious. I know, it doesn't seem like it at first. But this chapter contains drunk!Gracie, which is always a sure-fire way to giggle. Please enjoy. 3**

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><p>It took Gracie several minutes to calm down, all the while she cried into her best friends shoulder. But soon she found herself pulling back from him, wiping her face frantically to make it appear decent. She knew her eyes were red and puffy, her face was flushed and her lips were swollen from biting to keep her sobs contained. Stiles held her shoulders, looking down at her for a moment. She nodded at him to convey that she was okay and that she appreciated just what he did. He smiled at her and ruffled her hair before turning away from her and taking his spot back on the wall. She followed him and didn't spare a glance at the others, choosing to sit back down on the floor at Stiles' feet.<p>

They were quiet for a couple of more minutes before Lydia spoke, her eyes on the table where she had made her explosive.

"Jackson, you handed me the sulfuric acid, right?" She asked quietly as she looked at the bottle that was over there. The others glanced up at her when she spoke, Gracie's eyes moving to look for Jackson's reaction. "It has to be sulfuric acid. It won't ignite if it's not." She informed in a rushed voice, looking at her boyfriend to be sure that he did as she asked. He looked at her in irritation and whispered harshly.

"I gave you exactly what you asked for, didn't I?" Even Lydia was taken aback by the tone he'd used. She looked at him oddly before pulling her head away from him in surprise.

"Yeah." She paused. "Yeah, I'm sure you did." She said reassuringly, causing Jackson to roll his eyes slightly. Gracie turned her head to the brown bottle on the table away from them. If he didn't use sulfuric acid… and something else… Scott wouldn't have a chance. If Scott got hurt, they were done for. There was no way they could get out safe without any supernatural protection from the Alpha. At least, Gracie didn't think so.

Just when she was about to stand up to go look at the table to investigate, a loud growl resounded throughout the school. The building shook so hard from the force and she gasped, her hand reaching out to grasp Stiles' pant-leg from her position on the floor. She looked around in a panic, trying to decipher if it was close to them or somewhere else in the school. Across from her, Jackson's hand went to his neck and he let out a gasp as he clutched at it before dropping to his knees in pain. She watched him for a moment with an open-mouth, and then stood up quickly when he started to let out pained screams. She gripped Stiles hand and glanced over at him. The two made eye contact before he nodded his head towards the fallen male. She followed his gaze and her eyes widened when she saw deep scratches on the back of his neck.

Lydia and Allison rushed down to help him up as he groaned. Jackson struggled for a moment. "No, I'm fine." He muttered weakly before he pulled away from the two girls and turned towards them, rubbing the back of his neck. "Seriously, I'm okay." Allison looked at him skeptically.

"That didn't sound okay at all." She shook her head at him, not buying it for a minute. Stiles reached out his hand.

"What's on the back of your neck?" He asked lowly before Jackson roughly smacked his hand away, earning a hiss from the brunette. Gracie immediately reacted and punched Jackson's arm.

"Don't hit him, you dick." She snarled. Jackson looked at her and huffed for a moment before bringing his hand up to his neck once again, letting out a sigh as he stared at the ground to try and work out what just happened. "This is the thanks you get for trying to help people." She scowled, crossing her arms. "Ungrateful." Jackson lifted his gaze to her and glared. Then he sighed, shaking his head.

"I said I'm fine." He responded in a calmer tone. Lydia shook her head.

"It's been there for days. He won't tell me what happened." She was looking at Jackson, but speaking to Stiles. Jackson scowled.

"As if you actually care." He spat out. Oh, it seems there was some trouble in paradise with the schools' idol couple. Gracie watched as Lydia's gaze shifted to the ground, hurt.

"All right, can we not argue for half a second here?" Stiles asked, immediately ending the conversation of that topic. Allison sighed, running a hand through her hair as she leaned back against the counter.

"Where's Scott? He should be back by now." Her gaze drifted to the door in anticipation. Gracie shook her head, not having an answer when Allison looked at her and Stiles. Then a sound from the door caught every ones attention. A face could be seen in the window, distorted by the type of glass used.

"Scott?" Allison asked, and then rushed over to the door, trying to open it. But it was jammed. "Scott!" She screamed before pounding on the door and trying to get it open. Lydia looked confused.

"Where's he going?" She asked, frightened once again. Allison continued to try and force the door open while calling Scott's name for several minutes before Lydia screamed.

"Stop!" Everyone grew quiet and she turned her head towards the windows. "Do you hear that?" She asked softly. Everyone was quiet for a moment as they listened. It was low, but they all heard it. The sound of sirens. "Listen…" She breathed out softly as the sirens grew louder and louder. Then they all rushed to the window and watched as several police cars pulled into the parking lot, behind Stiles' Jeep.

Derek's car wasn't there, Gracie noted mentally to herself. She narrowed her eyes for a moment as she tried to think. That was good, right? That meant he was still alive. At least, she hoped so. She let a sigh of relief wash over her as she reached over and gripped Stiles' hand. He sent her a reassuring squeeze before watching as the police started to file out of their cars.

**[Page Break]**

She would never forget the moment of walking out of that school in one piece. After the terrifying up-and-down ride she had just been on for the past few hours, feeling the fresh air on her face made a strong sensation of relief wash over her. When the paramedics on scene discovered the state of her hand, she was immediately taken care of. During the forty-five minutes that she had to wait around for a ride home, she had her hand cleaned up and bandaged; she and her two friends had a confrontation with Dr. Deaton, who had conveniently and suspiciously showed up after the police arrived. Whether he was truly injured or not, Gracie would never really know, she only knew that he was already being handled by the paramedics when she was escorted over and it was a rather awkward fifteen minutes in the back of that ambulance with Gracie sitting next to the man that might have tried to kill her.

She also was informed in a fit of angst from Scott that the Alpha had no intention of dirtying his own hands in the matter of the deaths of his friends; he wanted Scott to kill of them himself. And the blonde had been theoretically smacked in the face when Scott informed her and Stiles that, when under the powers of persuasion from the black beast targeting them, the lacrosse star honestly wanted to rip his friends to shreds. That put a bigger dent in her newly-formed rocky relationship with Scott.

Scott and Allison had, apparently, broken up due to the fact that Allison felt like she couldn't trust him and that she didn't want to be in a relationship with a liar. The blonde tried hard to show her sympathy to her younger friend when he came back to her and Stiles with a heart-broken expression on his face, but she didn't. If she remembered correctly, she actually laughed about the fact that Allison broke up with him and then proceeded to rip him a new one for blaming everything on Derek, whom was seemingly still alive due to the absence of a bloody corpse and his Camaro. Gracie had to admit; she regretted saying that on the car ride home and apologized. It was swiftly accepted.

And that takes us to the present, where the rather emotionally numb blonde was trekking up the sidewalk to her front door, grateful that her parents both worked late that night. She glanced back at the Sheriff and waved in a reassuring manner as she unlocked and opened her front door. She heard the car pull out behind her and let out a sigh. As soon as her front door was closed, however, she was shoved against it by two furry paws slamming against her chest and wet kisses trailing on her chin.

The blonde let out a grunt and tried to pull her head away from her pets' show of affection. Almost sensing her owners' turmoil, Yuki dropped back down onto all fours and looked up at her master as she sat down. Gracie let out a deep sigh as she allowed her body to slide down the door and into a sitting position on the floor. Her white fluffball nudged closer and pressed her warm nose against her owners face. She took that moment to let her resolve crumble and she immediately wrapped her arms around her dogs' neck, burying her face into the fur.

After ten minutes of sobbing, the blonde decided she should try to retain some dignity and pulled away, wiping her face off quickly. Her loyal pup, who hadn't squirmed away at all, took this opportunity to slither away and into the kitchen to munch on some food. Grace followed, set on getting something in her stomach since she hadn't eaten for nearly four hours. After she successfully raided her own kitchen and consumed three pieces of left over pizza and almost an entire bag of Doritos, she made her way up the stairs towards her room. She kicked her shoes off lazily as soon as she stepped through the door and tossed her jacket off to the side. She ran a hand through her hair as she let out a yawn. Then she froze, feeling a cool breeze hitting her. She remembered closing her window after she snuck out with Stiles. Why was it open?

In a sudden panic, she quickly slammed her uninjured hand on the wall and flipped her light on, glancing around her room in paranoia. No one was there; nothing was out of place… She bit at her lip as she walked over to the window. She glanced around her yard, but saw nothing. With a concerned expression on her face, she brought her window down to close it and latched it before pulling the Hello Kitty curtains tight. She let out an involuntary shiver as a feeling bubbled up inside her, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to prickle. She felt like someone had been watching her. Taking a step back from the window, she turned to her desk to check her emails before she went to bed, but froze once again.

Sitting on her desk, right next to her previously closed and now open laptop, was a familiar object. She glanced around her room hesitantly once again before padding over to her desk. She picked up the object carefully and blinked. It was her phone. The one she lost at some point during the night. She clearly remembered having it when she got to the school, and not having it when she left the school. Someone had found it, and someone had snuck into her bedroom and put it on her desk. Was it the Alpha? Did… Did the Alpha know where she lived?

Suddenly, her brows furrowed as she adjusted her hand on the back of her phone, feeling her fingers stick slightly. Her gaze immediately went to her desk to see if a drink had been spilt, but there was no soda cans or bottles around. There was, however, a decently sized crimson smudge. She felt her heart drop into her stomach and her eyes widen as she slowly rotated her phone to glance at the back of her case. The sight of the same crimson stain on her Batman case and her tanned hand cause her to gasp and drop her phone to the ground. She took a step back and wiped her hand on her pants viciously. That's when she noticed the blood smeared across her shirt from her hand earlier that night. Not to mention droplets of blood from the busted lip she got at school. And now she had blood on her pants.

She wasted no time in dashing into the bathroom and stripping down to nothing before shoving herself in a rather hot shower that caused her skin to turn a decent shade of red by the time she was done. Wrapping herself in a towel, she stared down at her blood-stained clothes before simply shoving them into her bathroom trash can. She wasn't even going to bother with trying to clean them. She barely wanted to look at them, let alone handle them for longer than a minute.

Sighing to herself, she tightened the towel around her before exiting her bathroom, allowing the steam to filter out and into her cooler bedroom. She ran a hand through her wet locks before drifting her gaze to the floor where she had thrown her phone. She tensed when she saw that it wasn't there. In another panic, she glanced around her bedroom in paranoia, her eyes widening when she saw that her curtains were open, when she had closed the not twenty minutes ago. Carefully padding her way over there, she bit her lip hesitantly a she peeked outside. No one. She glanced at her window for a moment and noticed that it was unlocked. She blinked; it was cracked open only slightly as well. Someone had been in her room. While she was in the shower. That was so disturbing on so many levels.

She slammed her window down and locked it once again, closing the curtains once again before backing up. She let out a shaky breath before she glanced back down at where she had thrown her phone. She glanced around her room for her precious object before her eyes landed on her desk. Her laptop was closed and her phone was sitting on her desk. She shuffled over slowly and picked it up with her brow furrow. The blood was gone from her desk, and the back of the phone. Someone had cleaned it off. Glancing around her room once more, she noticed something from her new position. Her closet door was open slightly. Setting her phone down, she gripped the top of the towel and approached her beloved closet with hesitation.

Taking in a deep breath, she mentally prepared herself for what she might find. Could be a robber, could be the Alpha. Hell, it could be Stiles for all she knew. She gripped her closet door in her uninjured hand and mentally counted to three before slamming it open. Nothing. No one was there. She slumped her shoulders and furrowed her brow again, and then it hit her. The person was still in her room when she got home; they had hidden in the closet while she found the phone and locked the window. They must have cleaned up the blood and left while she was in the shower. She bit her lip. It wasn't the Alpha, then, she assumed. Gracie didn't exactly think the Alpha would've been the kind of guy to sneak into a girls' bedroom to give her back the phone she had dropped while running for her life from him. Nor did she think he would have enough decency to wipe away the blood that bothered her so much. No, this had to be someone that knew about her  
>dislike for blood.<p>

It could've been Stiles, or Scott… But they would've given the phone to her on their way to her house. They wouldn't need to sneak in her bedroom. They could've just walked up to the front door. No, this was someone who didn't want to get caught or be seen. Someone—her green eyes widened.

"Motherfucking werewolves." She hissed out angrily, jerking her hand into her hair. The only logical conclusion was the broody beefcake of a werewolf known as Derek Hale. That jackass snuck into her bedroom! And was there while she was in the shower! Shivering, she shook her head to rid herself of the overwhelming number of surprisingly naughty images that invaded her mind. She made quick work of getting into her pajamas and snuggling into her bed, getting a well-deserved rest.

**[Page Break]**

Most people, when finding out that a fugitive werewolf had broken into their house and remained there while they were in the shower, would react in anger. Generally, they would storm to the burnt down manor that they assumed the leather clad male would be and start screaming at him for invading their privacy. Not Gracie, definitely not her. No, instead, she called Stiles immediately after her nearly twenty-four hour sleep, and requested for him to snag Scott and meet her down at one of the clearings at the preserve, and to bring something to relieve the tension of last night. He was more than eager to do so.

So, instead of confronting the rugged man that broke into her home and may or may not be stalking her, she filled her Iron Man messenger bag full of tension relievers, and decided to walk down to the preserve instead of drive. It would probably be safer later that way, honestly. And that brings us to Gracie now, leaning against a rock with her legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, her bag opened with the tops of alcoholic beverages peeking through, an empty bottle of Smirnoff Raspberry next to her and another one in her hand. Her head was leaning back against the rock and her gaze was on the stars and the brightly lit moon above her.

The moon caused her train of thought to sway from when her friends would arrive, to a gray-green eyed man that happened to be six years older than her. Six years… That was a pretty decent difference. He was twenty three, she was seventeen. How did they even become friends? Were they even friends? Gracie liked to think that they were friends. He hadn't shoved her against a wall like he had Stiles or Scott yet. Which, for some reason, disappointed the blonde. Trying to think with her muddled brain, she came to the realization that she did in fact want Derek Hale to shove her against a wall like he had Stiles and Scott. Just, minus the threatening words or animalistic growls. Okay… so she wouldn't mind the animalistic growls.

The sound of voices and footsteps caused her to lift her head slightly, seeing just who she had been waiting for approaching. She raised her bottle in greeting before taking a chug. Scott shook his head at her and Stiles laughed, kicking her leg softly, causing her to spill some of the clear liquid on her chin and shirt. She glared at him.

"Dick." She muttered with a pout as she wiped her mouth off. He smiled at her before dropping down beside her, pulling out a bottle of Jack Daniels from his jacket. Scott took his perch on the boulder she was resting her head on and glanced down at her hesitantly, still nervous about her anger towards him from last night.

"That's what you get for starting the party without us." Stiles opened up his own alcohol and took a swig of it, scrunching his face up in disgust. The blonde blinked.

"Honey, the party don't start until I walk in." Her voice was surprisingly clear for her low tolerance to alcoholic beverages. Stiles laughed out loudly, shaking his finger at her.

"Don't quote Kesha, now. Try and be original, Gee." His words caused her brow to furrow and she blinked in confusion.

"I thought I was Kesha…" She muttered, running a hand through her hair casually. Scott laughed this time, unable to suppress his amusement in the fact that, despite being coherent in words, Gracie was definitely already drunk. Stiles shook his head, grinning.

"Definitely not." He chimed in a sing-song voice as he took another drink from the bottle, handing it to Scott. The young lacrosse star took it hesitantly and downed a slow sip, grimacing at the disgusting burn that followed. Gracie blinked.

"My whole life is a lie…" She muttered in awe, glancing from the stars to Stiles. "Are you sure?" She asked with a furrow of her brow. He grinned once again.

"Positive, chika." He cooed, reaching forward and ruffling her hair.

The three sat there for nearly half an hour in relative peace, just drinking. Though, Gracie and Stiles were packing the most away. By the time the blonde was beginning her fourth bottle, she felt her vision begin to go blurry. All reasoning skills in her mind told her to stop, but she didn't listen. Not after the night she had last night, she was going to drown herself in the numbness that only alcohol gave off.

"Guys…" She spoke quietly, causing the attention to turn towards her. Stiles had been drinking and joking around for a while and Scott just sat there thinking about Allison all depressed-like, Gracie was choosing to ignore him. She didn't want him to be a buzz kill. Although, she had a tinkling suspicion that she was passed buzzed. After a moment, she continued her statement.

"I think I might be an alcoholic in the future." She admitted before taking a giant gulp of her flavored, watered down vodka.

"Why d'ya say tha?" Stiles slurred out, having already downed half the fifth of Jack that he brought with him, as well as half of one of Gracie's Smirnoff's. She sat up for a moment and swayed, letting out an uncontrollable giggle.

"Because then I won't have to think about how much life sucks." She grinned out, unknowingly turning the atmosphere a bit serious. "Because, man…" She paused and let out a snort.

"I'm fucking stupid. Did ja know that?" She asked in astonishment. "The only things I can do are run and play video games." She pouted her lips dramatically. "What am I gonna do with my life with those two qualities?" She shook her head and shrugged carelessly.

"Do you think six years is too much of an age difference?" She asked suddenly, changing topics completely. Scott glanced down at her with a raised brow and Stiles looked like he was concentrating.

"I think it depends on the actual ages instead of the years apart." Scott spoke his thoughts clearly, obviously the only sober one. Gracie blinked, and then her face morphed into confusion.

"Whatdamean?" She slurred together, not understanding what he was saying. Stiles lifted his hand and waved her off carelessly, shaking his head at her.

"He means, bro, that if like, one person is like… fifteen, and the other is like twenty something… that's kinda bullshit." Stiles explained with a bit of difficulty, pausing every so often to think about what word he wanted to use. Scott nodded, relatively agreeing with his friend.

"What about seventeen?" She asked, blinking up at Scott. "And twenty… twenty—"She couldn't do the math right now. So she flat out asked. "How old is Derek?" She turned towards Stiles, he thought for a moment.

"Twennytree." He slurred, pointing his finger in the air. The blonde nodded in an affirmative, glancing at Scott.

"Twenty three." She was much better at drunk speaking than her friend. She didn't slur as much, but her mind was definitely a jumbled mess. Scott's eyes widened slightly. He had suspected that Gracie liked Derek, but here it was… right in front of him. And he wasn't even sure that she knew she just admitted it in a roundabout way.

"Gracie…" Scott asked for a minute, before leaning down slightly. "Do you like Derek Hale?" She blinked at him, her face morphing into one that held no expression. Just a blank stare. Her green gaze drifted from his brown eyes and down to his feet as her brow furrowed for a moment. Even Stiles had quieted down and leaned forward on her knees in anticipation. Of course Stiles knew Gracie liked Derek, even if the girl didn't realize it herself at times. He'd been waiting for her to say it out loud. She lifted her head suddenly, a smile on her face.

"Totally, bro." She breathed out, nodding her head. "I totally like Derek Hale." She frowned for a moment. "I sound stupid." She pouted as she dropped herself back onto the ground, laying with her arms spread to her sides. "I sound like a stupid girl."

"You are a stupid girl." Stiles reminded, reaching down and ruffling her hair affectionately. She muttered something and swatted his hand away, going into pout mode.

There was another wave of silence that lasted for about ten minutes before Stiles downed more of the rum and flopped back into the same position as Gracie, his head next to hers. He glanced up at the depressed and brooding Scott and started.

"Dude, you know… she's just one… one girl." He struggled to get out. Gracie hummed in agreement as she closed her eyes, feeling her eyelids get heavier and heavier. "You know, outta so many girls…" He shook his head slightly. "There are so many other girls in the sea." Stiles tried to comfort his friend. Gracie nodded her head.

"Mermaids, all of 'em. They're good for you, you know." She hummed as she rolled over and pressed her face into the rocky dirt below her, and then brought her arms up to fold them under her head. Scott glanced down at the two.

"Fish in the sea." He corrected them both with that one statement.

"Fish?" Stiles asked incredulously. "Why are you talking about fish?" He glanced up at Scott. "I'm talking about girls. I love girls." He groaned the last part out in a whisper. "I love 'em. I love—especially ones with strawberry blonde hair, green eyes, 5'3…" He trailed off. "OR!" He almost yelled, "Ones with bright red hair and blue eyes and that crazy accent…" He trailed off as his eyes clouded over as he thought about the only girls he had ever had more than friendly feelings towards.

"Like Lydia and Bentley?" Scott was unimpressed, and growing bored.

"Yeah, exactly like them." He glanced up at Scott once again. "Hey, how did you know I was talking about… about…?" He blinked. "What was I talking about?" He asked himself before giggling.

"Hey, you're not happy." Stiles pointed out, reaching over Gracie's drowsy form and slapping Scott's knee. He grabbed the bottle of Jack that he had placed next to Gracie's head and held it up to Scott.

"Take a drink." He ordered in his best friend tone.

"I don't want anymore." Scott mumbled. Gracie opened her green eyes and blinked sleepily. She moved her body into a sitting position, knocking over her bottle of Smirnoff in the process. She watched as it rolled away and groaned to herself, leaning back against Scott's leg as she let her head drop back onto his thigh and she closed her eyes once again, still drowsy. Stiles sat the bottle back down and got into the same laying position he was in before he moved.

"You're not drunk?" He inquired in a childlike tone.

"I'm not anything." Scott muttered softly. Gracie popped her eyes open to watch her friend stare off to the side, a deeply saddened look on his face. She reached her hand up quickly and grabbed his in her own. He glanced down at her and she gave him a soft smile and a squeeze on his hand to try and convey her comfort. He returned the smile weakly.

"Hey. Maybe it's like…" Stiles started to speak once again. "Maybe it's like not needing your inhaler anymore, you know?" He asked with a glance back to Scott. Gracie dropped her hand back into her lap and closed her eyes once again. "Maybe you can't get drunk as a wolf." He pondered. Scott glanced down at him, taking in what he had said.

"Am I drunk?" Stiles seemed confused.

"You're wasted." Scott shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Am I drunk?" Gracie repeated Stiles' question in a soft mumble, her eyes still closed.

"You're about to pass out." Scott responded, patting Gracie on the head gently. She hummed to herself in contentment, not really caring.

"Yeahhhh!" Stiles called out, lifting his hand into the air for a bro-fist. When Scott didn't respond, he dropped his arm to his side and sighed.

"Come on, dude. I know it feels bad." He started. "I know it hurts. I know." He paused. "Well, I don't know." He snickered to himself with a shrug. "But I know this. I know that as much as being broken up hurts, being alone is way worse." He stated as he pointed his finger in the air to make his point.

"And liking someone completely out of your league." Gracie chimed with a small frown as she opened her eyes to stare at the moon, thinking about the guy that was completely out of her league. Scott furrowed his brow and glanced at the two carefully.

"That didn't make any sense." Stiles laughed out at what he and Gracie had said, confused. "I need a drink." Stiles sat up and rolled over to try and grab his bottle, but a hand snatched it out of the way and an unfamiliar voice filled the clearing.

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><p><strong>Gracie. Gracie. Gracie. I love you. Because you're all, drunk... and adorable. And stuff.<strong>


	23. Chapter 23

**Sorry it's been a while. I got an acceptance letter from the main college I wanted to attend and I've been busy looking for scholarships and financial aid and filling out papers and making plans and worrying myself to death because I have no idea if I'm cut out for college and stuff.**

**Also, it might be a while for another update. I only have one more chapter written out so far because I've been too busy to work on it. Sorryyyy.**

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><p>"Well, look at the three little bitches getting their drink on." Gracie lifted her head and stared at the two guys in front of her. The one who snatched the bottle and spoke was tall and dark and seemed to the be leader, while the one behind him was paler and leering at her is a manner that almost made her want to vomit.<p>

"Give it back." Scott said in an even tone, not in the mood for any local pests. Gracie shifted into a proper sitting position, Stiles doing the same. Both of them seemed to sober almost immediately.

"What's that, little man?" The leader asked, taking a step forward to try and be intimidating.

"I think he wants a drink." The shorter man spoke with a smirk on his face.

"I want the bottle." Scott's voice remained even.

"Scott, maybe we should just go." Stiles sat, eyeing the two older guys. He didn't want any trouble, not after the night he had last night. This was supposed to be about relaxation, not confrontation.

"You brought me here to get me drunk, Stiles." Scott didn't take his eyes off of the 'leader'. "I'm not drunk yet." He said in a carefree voice, still not breaking eye contact. The guy laughed at him before taking a swig from the bottle of rum. Scott stood up slowly and took a step towards him. "Give me the bottle." He spoke in a surprisingly calm and even tone. Gracie shifted uncomfortably at the closeness of Scott and the other guy. When the guy shook his head, Scott took the opportunity to drop his own head down a few inches and glare at the guy.

Gracie couldn't see what he was doing, but it was obviously making the guy nervous because he pulled back a moment and stared in confusion. Then Scott spoke. "Give me the bottle of Jack." His voice wasn't right. It was laced with a dark twinge, his inner-wolf coming out to play. Gracie watched as Scott's hands slowly began to extend his claws. Stiles noticed too.

"Scott?" He called softly, hoping to snap his friend out of it. The guy handed the bottle over quickly, and Scott snatched it before throwing it to the side, smashing it against a tree. Then he promptly turned around and walked away from the situation. Stiles stood up before Gracie could and followed him quickly. Gracie groaned as she stood up and snatched her bag, standing straight with a sway of her body.

"Why don't you forget those two, and hang with some real men?" The shorter of the two called to her. She turned towards him and felt the alcohol give her some nerve. She scoffed at him and shook her head with a curl of her lips.

"Please. I'm not pathetic." She rolled her eyes before heading to walk away. A hand snatched her arm and she turned back around, seeing the guy giving her a sickly sweet smile.

"I wasn't really making a suggestion." He stated. His taller friend started to intervene, not wanting to face Scott's beast again, but Gracie already took matters into her own hands. She rushed forward and slammed her head into the guys' nose. She blinked as she swayed for a minute, and then giggled.

"Cool." She muttered before cementing herself into a firm position as the guy gripped his nose in pain and glared at her. "Fuck off, douchebag." She flipped him off before practically skipping after Scott and Stiles, who weren't too far away.

"Were going home now, yeah?" Stiles asked as soon as Gracie was within earshot. Scott had opened the door to Stiles' barely repaired Jeep and nodded. Taking the advantage of that fact, Stiles simply passed out into the seat, letting the alcohol take him over. Scott laughed and turned to Gracie, only to see her walking away with a slight stumble.

"Gracie! Where are you going?" Scott called after her, closing the door to the Jeep and jogging after her. He grabbed her arm as she swayed a bit.

"I'm goin' home." She blinked, saying it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He furrowed his brow.

"You're going to walk home? Drunk? In the middle of the night?" He was in no way comfortable with his friend doing that. Still walking, Gracie rolled her eyes at the boy beside her and turned, pointing at him.

"I am a strong, independent woman. I can make my own decisions. If I want to walk home, I will walk home." She turned suddenly and continued to walk away. Scott gaped for a minute and shook his head. He wanted to argue, but he didn't want to get beat either. And lately, Gracie's backbone was making more and more of an appearance.

"But—Gracie!" Scott yelled after the girl as she started to move out of his sight and down the street.

"YOLO!" She yelled, pumping her fist into the air. Her brunette friend took a minute to crunch his face into confusion, still not knowing where the sudden obsession with 'YOLO' came from. Probably the internet, she was always on the internet. With a sigh, he jogged forward to catch up to her.

"Come on, Gee. You're completely drunk." He persisted. She stopped and pouted, crossing her arms.

"Yes, I am." She nodded her head before swaying a bit as she turned towards him. "But I know something you don't know." She said in a sing-song voice. He blinked in confusion once again as she leaned forward with a wolfish grin on her face. "I have a fairy godmother." She whispered before giggling and practically prancing off down the road in the direction of her house. Scott could only gape for a moment before he shook his head and headed back to the Jeep to check on Stiles. He still had no intention of letting the girl get too far, he would knock her out and toss her in the back of the Jeep if he needed to.

However, Gracie found herself to be more than capable of walking home on a dark, eerie night in which all sorts of creatures could be out looking to kill, rape, or maim her. But was she scared? No. Why? Because she felt that warm buzz of liquid courage flowing through her veins. That, and she firmly believed that she had a handsome, beefy wolf stalker to keep her safe. Granted, all the reason in her mind told her that she was delusional and that she should hightail it back to the Jeep and get a ride home. But her heart told her mind to shut the fuck up and keep moving those legs. So she did.

After a minute of prancing and skipping, Gracie slowed down to a simple walk as she thought about her past couple of days. Wednesday, the day the Night of Hell took place, still rang fresh in her memory. She could remember the entire day. She remembered getting punched in the face for trying to break up the brutal beat down on Scott. She remembered laughing with Jackson as Stiles threw lacrosse balls into Scott's groin. She remembered ranting about the zombie apocalypse before being dragged out of her room by her psychotically hyperactive best friend to go have the most traumatizing experience of her life. She remembered watching Derek 'die' right in front of her. She remembered being completely terrified and broken up about it. And she remembered getting home and deducing that Derek had snuck into her house. She was a regular Sherlock Holmes, Gracie was.

She also distinctly remembered her mind telling her that she should be angry that an older male with animalistic tendencies had snuck into her room and may or may not have watched her undress while she got ready for a shower. But she also remembered that her heart told her mind, once again, to shut the fuck up and be flattered. She was a bit torn, still. Angry, or pleased? She wasn't sure.

With a soft hum to herself, she stopped walking with a pout. She didn't want to walk anymore. She should have thought this through. Instead of turning around to head back to the preserve to see if Scott was still there. She simply plopped down on the side of the road and crossed her legs, waiting to build up her energy to continue on. A great way to get killed, but she was too gone to notice.

She waited for a minute and a half before she flopped back onto the ground and stared up at the sky, her eyes pinned to the almost full moon. It was a full moon soon. And she didn't know what she and Stiles were going to do about Scott. They hadn't really talked about it. A soft rustle of leaves behind her caused her to tilt her head back to peer into the woods behind her, upside down. Another rustle and she sat up, turning her body towards the foliage. There was silence then. Her green eyes drifted up to the moon and she stared at it for a while before speaking.

"I don't understand." She whispered, shaking her head. "Shouldn't you be stalking Scott to make sure he doesn't go crazy?" She asked, dropping her head down to peer into the woods. She couldn't see anything. She didn't hear anything anymore. She could be talking to nothing, for all she knew. Or she could be talking to something that wanted to kill, rape, or maim her. Or just a little woodland creature that prances around living its semi-peaceful life in the Beacon Hills Preserve. She wasn't entirely sure about it, or about anything at the moment.

Just when she was opening her mouth to say something else, headlights shined into the area as a car pulled to a stop behind her. She tilted her head back and furrowed her brow when she could only see the headlights. Letting a whimper escape her lips, she brought hand up to shield her eyes as she watched a figure approach. Suddenly, a hand gripped her arm and hoisted her up. She grinned at Scott's concerned face.

"I got tired." She said simply to explain why she was sitting on the side of the road. He shook his head at her with a soft smile. He opened the passenger door and shoved Stiles' sleeping form over a bit and helped Gracie inside. It would be cramped, but better than his drunken friend to lie in the back where it was incredibly uncomfortable. Gracie giggled as Scott closed the door and turned towards Stiles, whose head was in her direction and his mouth open wide as he slept. She let out a loud 'aw' and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, snuggling into him. He didn't move, completely passed out. Scott shook his head at her as he put the Jeep into drive and started towards her house.

The drive was relatively quiet, with the sounds of Stiles snoring echoing in the Jeep. The steady drive slowly lulled Gracie into a light sleep, and she found her grip around her best friend loosening as her head buried into his shoulder. Scott glanced over at the two as he pulled onto Gracie's street. He let out a short laugh at the sight of her drooling on Stiles' jacket, her arm flung across his stomach, and a mouthful of her blonde hair in his mouth. He pulled to a slow stop in front of her rather large two-story home. He eyed the driveway and noted that her parents weren't home, which would make this much easier. He opened the drivers' side door and slid out, walking around to Gracie. He opened the door and his wolf reflexes kicked in as her body slid out and towards the ground with the door not holding her up.

She let out a groan and opened her green eyes hesitantly, frowning at Scott. "Where are we?" She asked in a slight whine. He hoisted her up to her feet and put her arm around his shoulders while he wrapped one of his own around her waist and kicked the door shut.

"Your place." He grunted out as he guided his sleepy, stumbly friend to her front door. She was dragging her feet in protest when she heard where they were.

"No!" She whined out, trying to pull away. "My parents… they'll see me drunkkkk." She was able to slither away from him only a couple of paces before his arms were guiding her back to her door.

"They're not home." He informed her, and she just nodded before reaching into her bag and fumbling around. She couldn't find her key in there, so she just dropped to her knees and emptied her bag out on her porch. Scott groaned and face-palmed, not wanting to help her pick up her junk. There wasn't much there, however, just a couple of crumbled pieces of paper, a Nintendo DS that was bright blue, her black-framed glasses that she wore if she ever lost a contact, her Batman-cased phone, several pens, and a small stuffed Frog that she had named Mycroft. She moved the stuff around with her hands before pouting up at Scott.

"I dunno where mah keys are." She grumbled out before shoving everything back into her bag. Scott helped her stand up and he shook his head before reaching into the pocket of her navy blue jacket, pulling out her keys.

"Ohhhh." She drew out in awe, watching with wide eyes as Scott unlocked her door and flicked the light to her entryway on. She stumbled inside, gripping the wall for support. He helped her out of her jacket and watched with barely contained amusement as she stumbled around to get her shoes off. From the top of the stairs, he spotted Yuki lying on the carpeted floor, watching her master with perked ears. Once his friends' shoes were safely off of her feet, he guided her to her couch and told her to sit there and not move. She obeyed and watched as he called Yuki down and let her outside, filling up her food and water bowl while she did her business. It took three minutes for the white Samoyed to make her way back inside, and Scott locked the backdoor once again and pulled the curtains closed. He shuffled over to the living room where he left Gracie, only to see her lying down on the couch with her right arm hanging over the edge, staring up at the  
>ceiling.<p>

"I'm gonna head out, Gracie. I'll talk to you tomorrow." He called down to her as he stood behind the couch. Her eyes darted to him.

"Wait." Her voice cracked a bit, starting to get dry. He shuffled closer to the couch, thinking she needed something. She let out a sigh and brought her right hand up to her head, covering her face. "I'm sorry, Scott." She whispered, her eyes closed as she avoided looking at him. Being Scott McCall, he was naturally confused as to what she was apologizing for. Thinking it was about her being drunk, he shook his head.

"Don't worry about it—"He was going to continue but she looked up at him and he grew quiet at the serious expression on her face.

"No. Not that. Not this." She gestured to herself as she raised herself into a sitting position, crossing her legs under her body as she turned towards Scott. "Everything." She shook her head.

"I'm sorry that you had to get roped into this whole werewolf thing. I know it's not my fault, but I'm still sorry. I'm sorry about Allison…" She paused, struggling for the words. "I know you really like her. That you love her, even. And… I know this night was supposed to be all about getting you to let go for a bit, but that didn't quite work out." She took in a breath.

"What I'm trying to say is… Don't give up, you know?" She looked up at him with slight confusion. "I have absolutely no experience with relationships or feelings or anything like that… And it might not mean much coming from me because of that… But, if you really like her like you say you do, like you act like you do… Don't lose her." She leaned forward, crossing her arms over the back of her couch. "This will just be a stop along the way, not the end. Keep your head up, man. It could all work out in the end, you know?"

There was a rather long silence as Scott stared down at his friend, who seemed incredibly sober at the moment. Unsure of what to say, he swallowed before opening his mouth. "Gracie—"

"Don't listen to me." She drawled. "I'm drunk." She muttered before burying her face into her arms that rested on the back of the couch. Scott stood there for a moment awkwardly, still not sure of what to do. He reached over and placed a hand a top her head. He wasn't really used to this. Generally, it was Stiles that Gracie would be intimate with like this, not him. Sure, they considered one another best friends… but their friendship didn't hold a dime to what Stiles and Gracie had.

"I'm sorry about the Derek thing." He muttered softly, feeling it was an appropriate time to do it. "All of it." She glanced up at him in confusion, not quite sure what he meant by 'all of it'. He didn't want to explain. He didn't know if he could explain. He was sorry about lying to the police about Derek being the one at the school that night. And he was sorry about Gracie's feelings towards Derek. Not in the way where he didn't want her to have them, or that he didn't approve of her confession earlier that night. But more so that he was sorry that she had such a low outlook on herself that she would probably never act on it.

Granted, Scott couldn't even begin to think about Derek's opinion of Gracie. So he couldn't exactly say that having the blonde tell the older wolf about her feelings would result in a positive outcome. But, as Gracie started to recently say, YOLO. You only live once, so he felt like she should still inform him at some point. But he knew she wouldn't, and probably never would. That's just how she was.

"Goodnight." He moved his hand off of her head and turned away, locking the front door behind him as he left her house. It took her a while, but Gracie was able to drag herself up the stairs and stumbled into her bedroom. She muttered something to herself that she wasn't even sure what it was as she struggled to close her bedroom door, but found she couldn't do so because her own leg was in the way.

"Ohhh." She whispered out, sounding as if she just had an epiphany before she moved her leg and closed the door with a loud slam. She fumbled with her bag for a moment, trying to get three objects out of it. Eventually, she was able to get her phone and glasses out and she sat them on the dresser beside her door as she tried to fish out Mycroft. She let out a rather loud yell of triumph as she pulled the green stuffed frog from her bag. She tossed the bag to the side carelessly before shuffling towards the corner of her room dedicated to her 'toys'. It contained her collection of My Little Ponies, stuffed animals, action figures, comic books, and a variety of other objects. She was gentle as she sat the small frog a top an unnecessarily large black bears head. She patted the bear's ear affectionately.

"Look after Mycroft, Dean. He's been breaking his diet lately. Don't want him to get fat, now do we?" She cooed in a tone one would use when talking to a puppy or a baby. She turned away from the pile of stuffed animals before glancing at one of her smaller stuffed bears that was on its' side. She bent down and picked him up, coddling him.

"Aww, did Yuki knock you over, Cillian?" She cooed before holding him with one arm and walking over to her dresser. "Don't worry, I'll protect you tonight. You can sleep with mommy and make all your brothers and sisters jealous." She grabbed her glasses off of her dresser and paused. "Mummy smells like alcohol. Let's change so her parents don't find out." She cooed as she took a change of clothes out of her dresser and padded her way into her bathroom, slamming the door behind her. It didn't take her long to change into the pair of shorts and baggy, black 'Team Dean' Supernatural t-shirt her brother got her last year. She brushed her teeth quickly before taking her contacts out with much struggle and pain. She shoved her black frames on her face and scowled, mad that her eyes were now bloodshot from messing around in them so much. She grabbed Cillian from the counter and walked out of her bathroom. No longer wanting to sleep with the bear named after an Irish actor she liked, she sat him down between Dean's legs and turned towards her dresser once again. She grabbed her phone before unlocking the screen and checking her messages and what not as she headed towards her desk to plug it in to charge.

She let out a sigh when she saw no notifications of anything interesting and grunted when she ran into her desk ungracefully. "Bitch." She muttered with a pout as she reached her hand down to find the cord that was connected to her laptop. She wasn't very successful and soon grew frustrated. "GOD DANGIT." She practically yelled before turning her phones screen down to look at the desk. As she did so, she got the shock of her life.

She let out a sudden scream and dropped her phone, backing up. A tanned hand quickly shot out to catch it before it fell to the floor before he raised his hand and flicked on the light on her desk. She blinked, then straightened herself up and pointed at him.

"What the hell are you doing in my bedroom again?" She demanded with a hint of a slur in her words. He arched a brow at her before glancing down at her desk and plugging her phone in for her with a scowl; it was obvious she had no coordination to do so herself. She stuttered a moment before dropping her arm to her side.

He said nothing as he leaned back down into her computer chair, glancing at her before crossing his arms over his chest. She licked her lips and glanced away from him, hesitant.

"Come on, man. I know you were in my room last night. Bringing me back my phone." She waved him off casually, hoping she wasn't giving anything away. This is the first time she was around him after she admitted to liking him earlier. She doesn't want it to be awkward. He neither confirmed nor denied her suspicion merely sat there staring at her. She shifted.

"Why are you here?" She asked hesitantly, pushing her glasses further up her nose in habit. She always did that when she wore them, even if they weren't sliding down. His brows bowed in anger as he glared at the blonde, scowling.

"I'm currently a wanted fugitive, thanks to you and your friends—"Gracie cut him off.

"Don't even go there." She practically snarled, clenching her fists as she turned her angry gaze on the older werewolf. "I had nothing to do with that." She shook her head. "If anything, I tried to stop them from going with it."

"As I was saying." Derek narrowed his eyes at her as he ended her rambling. "I can't go back to my place. It's crawling with cops." Gracie let out a rather unladylike snort as she padded to her bed, flopping face-first into the newly changed pink Hello Kitty comforter. She only let out a minor groan as her glasses pushed into her face and her nose throbbed on the impact.

"Don't tell me you actually live there?" Her voice was muffled as she spoke of the half-burnt Hale manor. She heard him shift the chair towards her.

He said nothing, however, only let out a rather deep growl in hopes to shut her up. She didn't question it. She took in a deep breath before turning her head away from him and folding her arms under her face.

"And you think I'll let you hide out here." She stated, not asked. Derek said nothing once again, his eyes focused on the back of the girls' head. He didn't want to go to Scott because he had a strong suspicion that he would have the desire to rip out the newly changed werewolf's' throat at the first sight of him, and he wasn't quite sure what Stiles' dads' schedule was like just yet. He knew Gracie's parents worked late often and were rarely home at night, and because she trusted him the most, he assumed it would be the safest bet.

There was a rather long silence between the two and Derek listened to the girls' breathing deepen and her heart rate slow as her alcohol clouded brain started to shut down for her to get some sleep. She heard some movement behind her and assumed that Derek was leaving. She groaned and reached out her arm, pointing towards her corner.

"Before you go, give me Westwood." Her voice was soft and slurred from tiredness and alcohol. There was a long moment of silence and Gracie assumed he had just left due to not knowing who Westwood was out of all of her stuffed animals. She shrugged it off and dropped her arm to her bed and fell into a fitful slumber, happy to sleep all the alcohol out of her system.

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><p><strong>Sorry if Derek was out of character during that bit. He's kind of out of character in the next chapter too, unless I decide to change it. But near the end of this particular fanfiction it should be explained so- Yeah. <strong>


	24. Chapter 24

**Yeah, this one took a while. Sorry about that. I'm not sure how long the next update will be. I've actually started to work on it for the first time in nearly a month to be honest with you all. The start of season two really got me motivated. So here's the next chapter~ I do apologize if Derek is out of character.**

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><p>The blonde woke up suddenly with a hiss of pain, her hand flying to her head at the sudden throbbing that awoke her. She let out a loud groan as she covered her eyelids with her left hand and curled herself around the object in front of her. An object that she didn't remember going to sleep with last night. She opened her eyes quickly and instantly regretted it. The headache she had increased at the sunlight filtering through her open curtains.<p>

"What the fuckkkk." She whined out before she squint her eyes to look at the stuffed penguin that stared back at her. She blinked a couple of times to try and get the throbbing to dull, to no avail. "WHY IS MY CURTAIN OPEN?" She yelled at the top of her lungs, the throbbing increasing for a moment. There was a minute of silence before a voice answered her.

"I opened them this morning, sweetie. I know you had a rough day Wednesday, but it's unhealthy for you to mope around in bed all day. It's nearly two in the afternoon." She groaned, rolling over with her arms around her beloved penguin. She moved her gaze from her ceiling to her open bedroom door and her eyes widened. Her mother was standing in the doorway with a loving smile on her face, which wasn't anything surprising. But behind the door stood an almost panicking werewolf gesturing for her to keep quiet. She swallowed for a minute.

"Uhm… Uhhhh." She couldn't think of anything to say. She searched her brain for a word, a phrase, anything to keep her from blurting out that there was a fugitive in her bedroom. Her eyes moved around her room before landing on her penguin, which she held up. "WESTWOOD!" She cried out. "Thank you for bringing me Westwood, mommy. How did you know I wanted him?" She asked in a childish voice as she slowly sat up, clutching her head as the blood rushed up. She swayed momentarily, but didn't miss the odd look her mother gave her.

"You had him when I opened your curtains earlier… I hope you've learned your lesson, by the way." Her mother chided with a knowing smirk on her face. Gracie narrowed her eyes at her, clutching Westwood closer.

"What do you mean?" She asked hesitantly. Her mothers' eyebrow quirked.

"That's one hell of a hangover you have going on. Next time you drink, don't take my favorite. And don't spill it all over yourself in your stupor. Your clothes smell like puke. They're in the wash now." The blonde blinked, frowning slightly. Then a small smile broke out on her face.

"I love you, mommy. You take such good care of me." She coddled. Her mother waved her off.

"Yeah, yeah. You're a pain in my ass, you know that?" Her mother was joking, of course. The grin on her face gave her away. "Your father and I are going over to the Reinhardt's for a medical dinner. We'll probably be home around midnight." She informed her offspring. Gracie shifted her gaze to her bedside table, looking at the clock.

"It's two fifteen…" She muttered, not understanding why the party would be so early. Generally these things start at six.

"You remember the Reinhardt's, Gracie. It's always best to eat something before you go over there. They have terrible food." Her mother grinned and Gracie laughed, sliding down to sit on the end of her bed.

"I'm not going, am I?" She was often loped into going to these stupid events. She hated them. They were formal and she always had to wear a dress. She hated dresses. She wasn't girly enough for them, not pretty enough.

"Not after Wednesday. I don't want you going out too much until that Derek Hale is caught." Gracie's green eyes immediately shifted to the hidden beefcake before back to her mother. She frowned momentarily.

"I don't think he did it mom." She argued with a small pout. Her mother rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Just because you—"She was cut off.

"OKAY!" Gracie stood up suddenly, pushing her mom out of the room. "Lovely chat. I'm going to go watch British television shows and play video games all day. You go have fun at your party. See you later. Bye. Love you. Shoo." She slammed her door shut and locked it, ignoring the fading laughter from her mother as she headed down the stairs. She waited until she heard the front door close when she shifted her gaze to Derek.

"What the hell are you doing here? In my bedroom?" She demanded, standing up angrily and clenching her fists. The wolf man simply snarled for a moment at her, until she groaned and swayed. She shifted for a moment before she darted to the bathroom. She emptied the contents of her stomach into her toilet before she sat herself down on the bathroom tiling with a childish and dramatic fake sob. She lazily reached over and flushed before letting her head drop back against the wall, drawing her knees up to her chest. She sat there for a while, trying to keep her stomach and headache at bay, when footsteps entered her mind. She lifted her head and glared as the dark-haired man walked into her bathroom. He dropped down to one knee in front of her, his hands out. One hand held a glass of water, the other two tablets of what Gracie assumed her Aspirin. She narrowed her eyes for a moment before she took them greedily.

"Thanks…" She croaked weakly, but he said nothing before standing up and leaving, closing her bathroom door behind him. She sat there for nearly fifteen minutes as she waited for the medicine to kick in and, when it did, she finally moved herself into a standing position. She groaned slightly as she went to her sink and began to brush her teeth and clean her mouth out. She took in a deep breath and leaned against the counter for a minute before rolling her eyes up to her mirror. She frowned at what she saw.

Her glasses her still on her face, and there was a red indentation mark where they had pressed into the side of her head as she slept. Her face was pale and her lips were chapped, the cut from a couple of days ago still swollen slightly. Her eyes were dull and tired, a sure sign of her foggy head at the moment. She sighed and began to unwrap the bandages around her right hand. Her eyes caught three pale lines on her left arm and she stared at it for a moment. Her gaze shifted from her healed wound, to her reflection in the mirror, to the closed bathroom door, and back to her healed wound. It was the scratches Derek had given her the night Stiles' dad got hit by that car. It helped her clear her head quickly too, reminded her of just what was in her bedroom. A werewolf. A werewolf that could easily hurt her. Not like she believed Derek would intentionally. But he could still hurt her.

Shaking it off, she dropped the bandage into the sink lazily and peered at her hand. Everything was closed up and scabbed over by now, the wounds not being too bad once the glass was all taken out. She was fine, a bit bruised and that was it. With a loud sigh, she opened her bathroom door and entered her bedroom.

Yuki was laying on her bed, her paws crossed and her gaze on the man that stood at the window. Derek's back was to her, his hands in his jacket pocket as he glared out at the world below him. Gracie didn't say anything as she walked over to her desk and grabbed her phone and laptop. She shoved Yuki over before plopping down onto her bed with a small grunt. She started up her laptop and waited for it to get to the screen for to unlock her computer, her eyes shifting to Derek.

"So." She started casually, typing in her password without moving her eyes from his broad back. She allowed her gaze to travel over his leather clad shoulders, down his spine before resting on the curve of his ass. She cleared her throat nervously as her stomach bubbled. She watched him tense suddenly, and she furrowed her brow. A growl ripped through his throat, and she tensed as well.

"Stop it." His voice was rough, his head lowered to glare at her floor. She shifted, setting her laptop down on the bed and swinging her legs over the side. She tilted her head in confusion.

"Stop what?" She didn't understand. He turned towards her suddenly, his eyes flashing blue. She drew her head back suddenly with a sharp intake of breath, realizing that he was fighting for control over his wolf. Another low growl rippled through his throat and went straight to her core. She shifted uncomfortably at the unfamiliar feelings and bit her lip.

"That." He snarled, gesturing towards her with a clenched hand. His jaw tightened when more confusion crossed her face. "Feeling that. Stop it." He demanded. She shook her head.

"I don't understand." She felt the frustration bubbling inside. She knew she was feeling something, but she didn't know what it was. And it was apparently bothering her werewolf friend.

"You honestly don't know?" The tone he used tore Gracie; she wasn't sure if he was seething or if he was sincere. He sounded angry and uptight, but there it sounded like a genuine question. She shook her head, blinking away the tears that had started to prick her eyes in the frustration at not knowing what she was doing wrong. Derek sighed, trying to relax as he ran a hand through his hair roughly, moving his eyes away from her for a minute before shifting them back.

"That's lust, Gracie." His voice was low, and she was startled by the revelation. "And I can feel it radiating off of you, smell it. I have for a while now. You need to stop it." He scowled. She shifted nervously, unsure of what to do.

"I-I didn't know…" She trailed off, looking down at the dark blue carpet of her bedroom. There was a moment of silence before she stood up and turned away from him, having every intention to leave her bedroom.

"I don't think you should be here anymore." Her voice was soft and she folded her arms over her. She wasn't very comfortable with having a werewolf she happened to like and be lusting after in her bedroom. "I don't mean to put you out, but—"

"I understand." His voice was sharp, and Gracie turned around to see him opening her window. She felt like he was mad, but she wasn't sure. She hesitated for a moment before stepping forward.

"Derek, I—"He turned towards her, half out of her window and shook his head.

"Stop." He sighed, silencing her. "It's fine." He slid out of her window the rest of the way. "I'll see you around." He offered as his goodbye before he was gone. She stood there for a moment before walking over and closing her window. She didn't lock it, though. Didn't find it necessary. With a loud, frustrated sigh she headed downstairs and proceeded to raid her kitchen.

She was on her second full bowl of ice-cream when she began to wonder how she's not fat. Shaking it off, she finished eating before padding back up to her bedroom and shoving Yuki over once again, as she had taken up the middle of her large bed with her fluff. She got onto her laptop and proceeded to go to Netflix to watch Doctor Who and wallow in her self-pity.

**[Page Break]**

"Alright. How about this frock and these heels?" The British accent wafted into Gracie's ears as her attention was elsewhere, as opposed to her red-headed cousin and her best friend talking in the three-way conversation on Skype. She darted her green eyes up from the game she was playing to the box with Bentley's face in the corner, seeing she was holding up a dress and a pair of shoes. She was trying to plan her outfit for a dinner party her father was throwing, and asking Gracie, of all people, for advice. She blinked before turning back to her game, ignoring her cousin. It was Stiles who spoke up instead.

"Girl. That is fabulous." He replied in a lisp, rolling his eyes excitedly with a bright grin on his face. The blonde couldn't help the smirk that crossed her face.

"That came a little too naturally for you, Stiles." She tsked and cast him a bright grin when he pouted.

"Now, now. Don't be so rude, Gracie." Bentley shook her head at her cousin with a smile before setting down the clothing and leaning towards her camera. "You know. You should care more for what I'm talking about. It might help you get some attention from boys." Bee suggested with a grin. Stiles couldn't hold back the snort that erupted from his lips as he sent a pointed look to the blonde. She glared at him for a moment before rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, well. I don't want attention from boys." She muttered into her headset, frowning slightly. She was still bothered by the events earlier that day with Derek. She couldn't believe she actually lusted after him. That emotion, the one she couldn't understand, it had been lust all this time. Back when Derek was shot, back in the woods, earlier that day; it was all lust. And, apparently, he didn't like it. She just ruined any chance of ever getting close to him, let alone befriend the bastard. Bentley opened her mouth to say something, but Stiles' had beaten her to it.

"Uh-huh. That's not what you've been acting like." Stiles teased with a grin on his face. As much as he had his issues with Derek, mainly in the department of fear and trust, he would forever torment his friend about her petty crush on the older werewolf. And this was the best way to do it; inform her cousin.

Gracie's eyes widened and she glared at the camera, seething. "I don't know what you're talking about, Stiles." Her voice was firm and even, daring him to continue on. Bentley, however, wasn't going to have the subject drop.

"What's this?" The red-head was highly interested in this topic. Her older cousin having an interest in someone? This was a first. Stiles smirked at Gracie's glare, turning his attention to the Brit.

"Yep." He stressed the 'p', leaning back. "She likes someone." It took a moment for that to set in, for everyone. Each of the three had their own reactions. Stiles' eyebrows shot up in surprise at his own words, the fact that his best friend had a crush on an intimidating older werewolf that may or may not want to kill them for throwing him under the bus didn't settle well with him. But, he also knew that Gracie seemed to be Derek's favorite; he didn't get all growly and snarly with her like he did the others. Whether it is because she's a girl or because she actually trusted him quicker than the other two did, he wasn't sure. But he wasn't positive he liked it.

Gracie's reaction was amusing for anyone on the outside. She let out an indignant huffed, leaning back in her seat with her arms cross over her chest. She had a rather deep scowl on her face as she glared at the camera, not pleased at all. She didn't want Bentley to know. She didn't want Bentley to know anything. She'll never hear the end of it. Never. She sent an irritated look at Stiles' face on her screen, earning an apologetic smile.

And Bentley, oh, Bentley. It took a while for her brain to start working again after the newly found information hit her. She sputtered slightly, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly, almost like she didn't know what to say or do for once. And then a grin spread across her face for a moment and she leaned forward, eagerness clear in her blue-green eyes.

"Seriously? Are you serious?" She asked before a look of anger crossed her face. And Gracie knew she was going to be seeing her cousins' one-fourth Irish side, a gift from Bentley's lovely mother whom was born and raised in Dublin. She let a frown cross her face as she glared directly at Gracie.

"And when the bloody hell were you going to inform me? This is terribly serious, Grace Dent." Bentley sat down from her angry standing and crossed her legs elegantly, lifting a thin red brow. "I'm highly ashamed that you haven't told me. This is a sign that you are actually of the female gender." There was a silence and then Bentley pursed her lips.

"Unless you fancy a female… Nothing wrong with that, of course, I would still love you dearly and have immense respect for you. But you are rather Butch, so that would make sense." Gracie gaped at her cousin, unable to stop her mouth from dropping open at the words. She was not _Butch._ She furrowed her brows and had every intention of starting one hell of an argument with her beautiful cousin, but Stiles knew these girls too well.

"It's a boy. Well—man. He's older than her. Let's not talk about this!" Stiles waved her hands frantically, thinking of something else to talk about. The blonde and the redhead of the group took the time to glare at one another while he flailed.

"Gracie! How's your hand?" Stiles interjected suddenly, and her head snapped to him. She shook her head with wide eyes. She hadn't told Bentley. God, no, she hadn't. She knew that would be a horrible idea, and now Stiles was bringing it up! Stiles tried to change the subject, but Bentley had already latched onto his words with a death grip.

"What?" She asked, her brow raising. Gracie waved her off casually, shaking her head.

"Nothing, Bee. I scraped my hand around at school. Remember that fight I told you about? Where I rescued Scott's ass?" Bentley nodded. "Yeah. I scraped my hand up pretty bad." She hated that she could lie so easily. Unfortunately for her, she didn't realize that she had a tell like everyone else did. The redhead scoffed, scowling as she leaned back in her seat once again.

"Oh, really?" She drawled out. "You're lying." She was blunt and to the point. "Tell me." She demanded, leaning to the camera with a frown. Gracie said nothing, only lifted both of her brows and went back to her game, having every intention of ignoring her cousin. But Bentley wasn't having any of that.

"Sties, dear." Gracie's green eyes snapped up to glare at the two. Stiles wouldn't be able to say no. She knew it. She gave him a warning glare as he sputtered for a moment. "What happened to my cousin?" The Brit asked in a soft voice. Stiles licked his lips momentarily before giving Gracie yet another apologetic look.

"She got her hand cut up on some shards of glass." He tried to keep the details minimal, which Gracie appreciated the effort, but she knew Bentley wouldn't back down until she knew everything. The redhead lifted yet another brow, shooting Gracie a glare before focusing on the brunette male.

"Why was she around shards of glass?"

"There was a broken window."

"Where was there a broken window, Stiles?"

"At the school…"

"Why was there a broken window at the school?"

"Because someone broke it…" He rolled his eyes slightly. Bentley frowned.

"Why would someone break a window at the school?" She questioned, narrowing her gaze. Stiles took in a deep breath and then began to explain. Everything. He told her how the animal attacks going around were murders, not a mountain lion. He told her how the murderer had trapped the three of them inside the school and chased them around, wanting to kill them. He explained how Allison and the others showed up and everything. He explained everything without mentioning werewolves, or Derek for that matter, which Gracie appreciated. By the time he was done explaining, Bentley's pale skin was even paler, all the color drained from her face. Her eyes were locked onto Gracie's picture on the screen of her laptop. There was a long, long silence, and Gracie actually thought that Bentley might be broken.

"Bee?" She asked softly. That was the trigger; the trigger she was hoping wouldn't be pulled. But, oh no, she definitely pulled her. She watched as a look of pure rage crossed her cousin's face and she stood up, knocking her chair down to the floor in anger.

Gracie would never know what Bentley was screaming, mainly because her accent was thick and she was yelling in French, a language she had been learning since she was nine. But, Gracie knew it wasn't good. She could tell by the way the redhead was throwing things and pointing at the computer and having an all-out rage fit. The two at the computer watched quietly with wide eyes as she had her fit, and then watched her face morph into one of seriousness. She walked over to her laptop and knelt down, not bothering to pick her chair back up.

"There's a murderer in Beacon Hills that wants to kill you." Her voice was a whisper. Gracie blinked and opened her mouth to try and explain that it wasn't after her per say, but she wasn't able to. Bentley gave a rueful smile, still upset. "You're an idiot." She shook her head. "I'm coming to California." And with that, she was out of the conversation as she shut her laptop.

Stiles and Gracie spent the next few minutes gaping at one another before a small smile crossed Gracie's lips. "At least we get to see her?" She offered with a small shrug. Stiles only shook his head at her.


	25. Chapter 25

**This chapter is extremely short, and admittedly a bit crappy. But there's just been a lot going on right now and I'm in the middle of a move, so it's pretty stressful having a commitment to this story and doing everything I need to do at the same time. Hopefully the next chapter will be better, and not nearly two months late or so.**

**Sorry.**

**And to all my reviewers; thank you. I don't think I've ever really addressed you guys, and for that I apologize. I appreciate your reviews and I'm so glad you all enjoy my story.**

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><p>She was definitely having second thoughts about this. She didn't want to put her cousin in danger… and Gracie had a feeling it the pit of her stomach that that was exactly what she was doing by allowing Bentley to come to Beacon Hills. But then again, when Bentley Dent wants something, Bentley Dent gets it. That's how it's always been; nothing will stand in her way from getting what she wants.<p>

Another impatient sigh ripped from the blondes' throat as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other inside the semi-bustling airport. She'd been here for nearly an hour already and no sign of her cousin. Apparently her flight was delayed due to a misunderstanding between the airlines. Her flight had to dock in a different gate because another plane was in the one they were supposed to be in. And apparently that caused enough of a ruckus to cause nearly an hour of waiting for the severely impatient blonde. Sure she was happy to be getting out of school today, not like she wanted to go back to the hell hole where she nearly died, but she didn't want to be standing around in an airport waiting for a sassy red-head either.

With a huff, Gracie pivoted towards the nearest service desk and padded her way over to the tall blonde behind the computer. "Hi, excuse me?" She asked politely to get his attention. He glanced up from his work on the screen and gave her a friendly smile.

"How may I help you, Miss?" Gracie let out a slightly nervous laugh.

"Could you tell me when flight 37 is going to be letting passengers off?" She was hopeful he would know. He nodded and glanced at his computer for a moment as he looked around for the answer. A moment later he turned back to Gracie.

"Flight 37 should be releasing its passengers right now, Miss." He responded.

"Thank you!" She chimed before turning away from the kiosk and glancing around the airport once again. She took a few steps towards the gate Bentley was transferred to when a voice stopped her.

"Wow. Still gender confused, I see." Gracie froze and a frown overtook her face as she inhaled deeply before turning around to face the cocky Brit. She gave a small, sarcastic smile.

"And I see you're still a spoiled little brat." The blonde chimed in a sing-song voice. The red-head smiled brightly, crossing her arms over her chest with a clank of all of her silver bracelets. Gracie took in all the silver jewelry on her cousins' body and momentarily wondered if silver could in fact harm the wolves. She pushed that thought from her mind when her cousins' accented voice filled her ears once again.

"Shouldn't you be at school, then?" The red-head asked as she picked up the carry-on bag at her feet before she started to walk towards the baggage claim. Grace rolled her eyes for a moment, shoving her hands into the pockets of her worn black jacket.

"Funny thing about almost being killed in your school." She paused long enough for Bentley to glance back at her before continuing. "It makes your parents let you stay home because of a 'traumatic event'." She shrugged with a small laugh. The redhead didn't see the humor in it, merely sending her cousin a rather curt glare before stopping at the claim. She looked around before her eyes landed on three bright neon orange suitcases, all of them rather large. She quickly grabbed one and pulled it to the floor. Gracie reached forward and grabbed the remaining two with a grunt before setting them at her feet.

"What?" The blonde asked innocently. "Too soon?" Bentley rolled her eyes.

"Of course it's too soon, dear. You could have been killed, Gracie." Bentley huffed as she started to walk away, bags in hands. Gracie was quick to follow behind her with the rest of the redhead's luggage.

"But I wasn't, Bentley." The blonde used her back to open the door for her cousin and the two of them shivered for a moment as they entered the chilly outside air. The two girls set out for Gracie's dark gray Nissan Altima, getting there quickly.

"I don't think death is really something you should joke around about, love." The redhead shook her head as she opened the back door to the car, gradually putting her bags back there. Gracie shrugged, holding out her keys. Bentley laughed, taking them immediately and walking around to the driver's side. If there was one important thing people needed to know about Gracie Dent, it was that she was a terrible driver. Not _terrible_, per say. She was just easily distracted. Not reckless. She would go too slow to look at things, or too fast to get to things, but she never put herself or anyone else in danger. And she was shitty at parking. But Bentley Dent? No way. The girl barely had her license for a week before she was out on race tracks and getting into some underground street racing. Bentley was a car girl. She loved cars, loved to look at them, loved to drive them, loved to build them.

"I see I'm going to be the driver during my stay here, yes?" She slid into the drivers' seat as Gracie took the passenger seat. She laughed in response.

"Obviously." Gracie rolled her eyes slightly. Bentley shrugged slightly before starting the car and they headed out onto the main road.

"What about when my car gets here?" The redhead glanced at the blonde with a grin, who snorted in response and folded her arms over her chest.

"Well, I guess you'll just be driving me around in your car." She paused for a moment. "You're sixteen~ How do you even have your license yet?"

"I'm magical, that's why. Don't question it, Gee." Bentley grinned over at her. "Just accept it." She paused. "You're going to willingly let me drive you to school in a Mercedes-Benz SL?" Gracie snorted with laughter for a moment.

"Man. Jackson's going to be pissed when he finds out his car isn't the most expensive one in the lot." She mused to herself, and Bentley lifted a brow at her.

"Whittemore?" She pondered softly with a hum as she took a turn. "You know, I haven't heard you talk about him for a long time now." Gracie turned her head sharply to her cousin.

"What are you trying to say, Bee?" She frowned. The redhead shrugged.

"Just wondering what happened between you two. Weren't you guys friends back in the day?"

"It was sixth grade." She shrugged and leaned back in her seat with a small pout. "He was a fifth grader in my mixed grade class. It was nothing."

"I distinctly remember you having a crush on him in eighth grade." Bentley grinned. Gracie sputtered for a moment.

"_No one_knows about that, Bentley. Not even Stiles. And Stiles knows everything about me." The blonde sighed, running a hand through her hair. "He's a jackass now, Bentley. I don't even really like associating with him."

"But you like associating with this Derek Hale?" Gracie sputtered at her cousins words, mentally flailing at the mention of Derek.

"How'd you, uh, find out his name, Bentley?" She asked casually, running a hand through her blonde hair casually.

"Stiles." She shrugged like it didn't even matter. "And then I googled him, because you know me. I'm always curious." She grinned, then frowned immediately. "Nice to see you're interested in the guy who tried to kill you and your closest friends. That's just great, Grace."

"He didn't do it, Bentley." Gracie argued softly, sighing deeply. The redhead lifted a brow.

"Oh yeah? How can you be so sure about that?" She demanded curtly.

"Because he nearly sacrificed his life to get me to safety." Gracie growled out, scowling at her cousin. Bentley's eyebrows rose and she slowly pulled the car over in front of their destination, Tyler's house.

"So the police are wrong?" She asked in disbelief. Gracie sighed once again.

"Yeah, they freaking are, Bee. Derek's not a bad guy. I promise you that." She turned to cast a glance at her cousin, who was sitting with her hands in her lap, a slight serious expression on her face. The redhead sighed, shrugging.

"Whatever, Gracie. I can't really argue with you. It's nearly impossible to do so..." She unbuckled her seatbelt and the two of them got out of the car. "But hey, if you like this guy, you gotta tell him. This is the first guy you've liked in a long time. And... I think you kinda really like him." She mused softly, grinning at her cousin as she pulled some of her bags out of the backseat of the car. Gracie rolled her eyes as she pulled two bags out of the trunk.

"He's cute, bro. Sexy even. Muscular. He's attractive. That's it. Nothing more." She shrugged casually, walking towards Tyler's front door.

"You've always been a terrible fibber!" Bentley chimed with a bright grin.


	26. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**I know it's been an incredibly LONG time since I've even remotely done anything with this. And I guess I can't really think of an excuse other than a mix of I lost interest. However, I've come to update you all with some different news.**

**I WILL be continuing this. I'm not sure when, because I'm actually going to go through and rewrite it. Mainly because I've had people express their concerns about certain things (namely Bentley) and I agree completely. The character what thought up between a friend and myself and she was supposed to flit in as Stiles' love interest, but I think that takes too much away from Gracie and Derek's story. Which is what this is about.**

**This is NOT a fast-paced love story. There will more than likely not be any smut in this. But you all seem to enjoy it well enough.**

**That's why I want to go through and edit some of it and start it up again. I can't promise when I will do it because I'm working full-time right now, and I spend most of my free time on Tumblr, if you'll let me be fully honest.**

**Although I've seen your reviews, I've gotten your messages. And despite the fact that some of you are rather rude about it, I /will/ be continuing this. I will be rewriting it, and my other stories as well. I also have a few new ideas that I think I might actually do after I'm done with some of the stories I have up here already. I will leave what's already done of Just Can't Get Enough up until I've rewritten most of it and then I'll delete this story and direct you all to the new one, which will be titled the same.**

**Sorry for the absence. I didn't forget about you guys, I just had writers block from hell and never really came back to .**


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